smaerD fo dlroW
by Kagome1514
Summary: AU. One night, Sora falls asleep and encounters something mystifying in his dreams; and now… he cannot escape the person that he has discovered… nor does he want to. He wants to discover if Riku is real...Full summary inside RxS.
1. Through the LookingGlass I Fall

**A/N: Welcome to my newest fic idea. My muse mercilessly held me captive for the past few days until I completed it, blocking my inspiration for my other fics that I need to be working on. However… now that this is completed… I am FREE! **

**Honestly… I love this fic… but I have no idea from where it came—maybe my **_**dreams**_**! ((wink wink)) **

**Lol. **

**Anyway… this is more of a novella—since it is so short—my **_**first **_**novella, to be exact! I know that the idea of **_**me **_**writing a novella is somewhat ridiculous—considering the length of my actual stories… but… hey! I like to branch out! Regardless of length, I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless. **

**Much love goes out to **_**hunted-snark **_**for beta-reading this for me; without him, this fic would not be what it is—and I truly mean that! **

**Full Summary: **

**Sora has a very active imagination. He daydreams often and fantasizes about many things, letting his imagination run wild. One night, he falls asleep and encounters something mystifying in his dreams… and now… he cannot escape the person that he has discovered—nor does he want to. As he starts to get sucked more and more into Riku's world, his reality becomes skewed. He wants to line the pieces up… and he wants to try and merge the two worlds. He wants to discover if Riku is **_**real**_**… because he has begun to believe that Riku cannot live without him… and **_**he **_**cannot live without Riku.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to **_**Kingdom Hearts**_**. I recognize that these rights belong to the wonderful companies known as Squaresoft/ Square Enix and Disney. **

**I rated this 'T' just to be safe! **

**: P **

**Oh! And, just to let you know: disembodied voices—or discourse where the speaker's face is not visible—are italicized; also, instead of un-italicizing… I make it bold and italicized for emphasis. That's just my style. **

**Please enjoy the show! **

**: D**

* * *

_smaerD fo dlroW_

* * *

Chapter One: Through the Looking-Glass I Fall

_I open my eyes… and I stare at the familiar ceiling of my room. I feel as if I am awake… but I know deep down… that I am dreaming. This is a dream. _

_Curiosity bids me to sit up and look around. My room looks exactly the same as it did when I lay down to sleep. Every single detail—no matter how minute—is in place. _

_Something tells me that I should get out of bed—that I should stand and examine my room. This is what I do. I slowly tread a measured path across my hardwood floor, searching for anything out of the ordinary. I look __**everywhere**__—even under the bed—and still find nothing unusual. Finally, I come to stand in front of the full-length mirror at the foot of my bed; I heavily regard my reflection, the computer desk and door behind me like shadows._ _Somehow… I just know that something is different about the mirror. _

_In my waking life, I like to imagine that my mirror is a portal—a portal to another world. It makes perfect sense that my dreaming self would encounter my dearest wish: my mirror… potentially transformed so that it __**is **__a portal to another world. _

_Filled with trepidation and excitement all at the same time, I stare at the mirror in awe—despite the fact that it appears to be no different. Very slowly, I raise my hand, tapping—twice—on the glass with my index finger. Nothing happens. I frown. _

_If this is my dream—which it is—something magical should have happened. The mirror should have become… fluid… or something… something through which I could step—something through which I could pass! I am highly disappointed in my mirror. I am highly disappointed in the fact that it got my hopes up. I thought that I would __**finally **__get a chance to enter some magical land… but no! It had to be a stupid, regular mirror! _

_Just as I turn around… I hear something. An unfamiliar, deep voice cries, __**"Hey! …Is someone there?" **__It sounds full of uncertainty and… loneliness; there is a certain desperation to it that pulls at my heartstrings, making me want to respond to it. _

_I turn around… but I see nothing but the mirror—and the mirror does not appear any different than a moment before. My brows furrowing, I cautiously approach the glass. I swallow and question, "Yes?" _

_**"Were you the one that made that noise—that noise on the glass?" **_

_I blink in surprise that this voice is speaking to me… from what sounds like the depths of my mirror. "Uhh… yeah. I tapped on the glass." I can't resist asking, "Are you in the mirror?" _

_**"What?! Am I… in… a mirror?"**__ He—at least, it sounds like a masculine voice—sounds like he thinks that I am insane. _

_I casually reply, "Yeah! I mean… I'm standing here, minding my own business, and your voice is coming from somewhere inside the mirror in my bedroom. And, considering that this is my dream… I'm going to have to go with…" I pause before declaring, "You are a magical being that lives inside my mirror—that I cannot see—but that I can most definitely hear. And because you are a magical being… you will perform some sort of magic that will allow me to pass through my mirror into a world of… of… something… exciting… and… not normal!" _

_There is silence, and now I am afraid that I have scared the mysterious being off. I open my mouth, about to call out, when I hear: __**"You're a freak. Did you know that?"**_

_I indignantly protest, "Hey! Pardon me! But, I… I'm not the one whose voice is coming from a mirror, am I?" _

_**"Actually… that is exactly so. Your voice **__is__** coming from a mirror. And, truthfully… you woke me up." **_

_I blink in consternation. "Oh. …Well… sorry." _

_**"That's okay. …I'm actually glad that you did." **_

_I ask, "Can you see me?" _

_**"No. …Can you see me?" **_

_I purse my lips in disappointment. "No." After a moment of hesitation, I ask, "So… who are you, then?" _

_**"How come you get to be the one to ask all the questions, huh? Maybe I'd like to know exactly to whom I am talking!" **_

_I huff… before jabbing a thumb at my chest and declaring, "I'm Sora! And you—whoever you are—are the lucky being that gets to be in __**my **__dream!" _

_**"Are you so sure that this is **__your__** dream? I mean… for all you know… this could be **__my__** dream! Which means that **__you__** are the one who is lucky enough to be in **__my__** imagination!" **_

_I argue, "Hey! I know for a fact that this is __**my **__dream, because I just got out of bed… and I am standing here in __**my **__room… talking to some VOICE that lives in my mirror." _

_**"I don't live in a mirror! I live…." **__He trails off; my brows furrow in confusion. _

_I prod, "You live…?" _

_His voice is soft… rather frightened. __**"I don't know where I live. Where I am right now… it's… completely dark… except for this mirror." **_

_I suggest, "You could try passing through the mirror." _

_**"Don't be stupid! It's just a mirror!" **_

_I correct, "It's not just a mirror! It's a magical portal!" _

_**"God help me…. I'm talking to a lunatic…." **_

_I angrily yell, "HEY! I'm not a lunatic! I just have a very active imagination!" _

_**"Uh-huh. That's what they all say…." **_

_I growl, shaking my fist, "You have no room to talk! For all I know… you could be a lunatic! You don't even know me!" _

_**"True…. Well… to answer your earlier question: I… I don't remember my name." **_

_Tilting my head thoughtfully to the right, I wonder, "You don't remember your name? Wow…. Well… I'm sure you'll remember it… eventually…. What do you look like? I'm guessing from your voice that you're a guy… but… are you?" _

_**"I am a guy. And, according to this mirror… I look… pale. I look… unhealthy. God! What's wrong with me?" **_

_Caught up in a new idea, I chirp, "Hey! Maybe I'm supposed to help you!"_

_**"What?" **_

_I grin in excitement, exclaiming, "Yeah! That's it! I'm supposed to help you! You're stuck in a dark… prison or something… wasting away… and… and I have to try to find the key to set you free!" _

_**"Well… from the little patch of floor that I can see, it looks like I'm standing on hardwood floor…."**__ He trails off, going quiet. _

_After a moment of silence, I cry, "Hey!" _

_**"What?" **_

_I point out, "You never described yourself to me!" _

_**"Oh. Well… you tell me first what **__you__** look like… and then I'll tell you what I look like." **_

_I think on how to describe myself, putting my hand to my chin thoughtfully as I peer at my reflection. _

_He warns, __**"And don't lie to me. Even if you're an ugly beast… just tell me what you look like… so I can picture it clearly. If you don't tell me the truth… then I won't tell you what I look like!" **_

_"Okay, okay! I won't lie!" I huff out, "Hmm…. Let's see…." Finally, I utter, "Well, I'll start by describing who I am. I'm Sora; I'm seventeen; and I am a junior in high school. I am about five foot… hmm… six—not very tall for a guy, I suppose. Oh! Maybe even shorter if you exclude my hair!" _

_**"Your… hair?" **_

_"Yeah! I have spiky, brown hair—but not GIGANTIC spikes—medium-sized ones." _

_**"What color brown is it?" **_

_"Uhh… light brown. Umm… let's see…. Oh! I have blue eyes—dark blue! And… I'm kind-of scrawny. I mean… I'm not completely scrawny… but I'm not really buff. Maybe I should lift weights or something…." I clear my throat, prodding, "So… what do you look like?" _

_**"Greenish-blue eyes—aquamarine—that's the color I was thinking of…. Somewhat long silver hair—but not too long. It's kind-of layered. I have bangs. The shortest layer of my hair starts at the top of my cheek… then the next one goes down to my chin… and then the layers go down from there—ending just above my shoulder. I do seem rather… well-built. My arms look kind-of buff." **_

_I snort, "Yeah, sure!" _

_**"Seriously! I think I must work out or something…." **_

_My brows furrow; I question, "How do you not know if you work out or not?" _

_**"I… can't remember." **_

_I frown sadly at this. It seems… tragic. I gently inquire, "Do you remember anything?" _

_**"…Nothing." **_

_"Oh." _

_I wonder, scrunching my nose, "Hey, you're not standing around naked or anything, are you?" I ask this for the sake of knowing… as well as for the sake of lifting the mood. _

_**"What?! What kind of question is that?! No, I am not 'standing around naked'! I'm wearing light gray pajama pants… and… a black t-shirt… and socks." **_

_In an effort to inform him that I, too, am not standing around naked, I inform him, "Well… I'm not naked, either. I am currently wearing red and black plaid pajama pants… and a gray t-shirt. I am standing around on my hardwood floor in bare feet, though. At least it's not cold. It's rather warm here." _

_**"Is it? …It's cold here. I didn't even really notice it until now…." **_

_My right hand twitches; I can feel that I am on the point of waking up. I cry out, "Hey, whoever you are! I have to go! My body's waking up! I have school in the morning! It was… umm… nice talking to you! I'll try to figure out a way to get you out of your dark prison or whatever! Bye!" _

_He sounds surprised at this abrupt declaration; he stammers, __**"B-Bye!"**_

_And then… my dream world vanishes as I fade into darkness._

* * *

I feel myself wake up… and I just know that it is early—my alarm clock hasn't even gone off.

I groggily open my eyes, groaning, as my alarm clock goes off just a few seconds later. Growling with displeasure, I whack at it, effectively silencing it. I roll onto my side, yawning, intent upon sleeping some more.

_"Sora! Are you up?" _

I don't respond.

_"Sora! I heard your alarm clock go off! Give me something vocal to work with here… or I'm coming in there!" _

Irritated at my mother's persistence, I snap, "I'm up! I'm up! God!"

_"Well, hurry up and get showered and dressed! Breakfast will be ready in twenty minutes!" _

"All right, Mom!"

Grumbling to myself, I lift my covers and slide my feet onto the floor, grabbing clean clothes before heading down the hall to the bathroom.

As I finish pulling on my clothes for the day: black boxers, dark jeans, and a white graphic t-shirt with the words: _Disney stole my soul as a child… _on the front, and the words: _And now I want it back… _on the back

Returning to my room, I finish off my ensemble by sitting on the edge of my bed and putting on fresh, clean, white socks.

Standing in front of the full-length mirror in my room, I comb my hair in the usual way. I pause in my morning routine, peering forward. Something inside me bids me to tap on the glass with my fingertip—not just once—but twice. Nothing happens. I shrug, resuming my combing. When I am finished I head toward the door, setting my comb down on my computer desk, then grabbing my red backpack by one of its black straps, slinging it over my shoulder as I shut the door behind me.

My right hand slides along the wooden banister as I make my way down the uncarpeted, slightly tarnished staircase. Right as I reach the bottom, I realize that I forgot my wallet upstairs. Swearing softly under my breath, I toss my backpack down and run upstairs again, popping into my room. It is as I am grabbing my wallet that I think that I feel something funny at my back—coming from the direction of the mirror.

Still clutching my item, I whirl around, staring wildly at the mirror. I calm down—even getting a little disappointed—as soon as I realize that nothing is out of the ordinary; my window is just open… and all I feel is a cool, morning breeze. Shaking my head at my idiocy, I move to shut the window, closing the white, lacy curtains while I am at it. Satisfied that nothing is abnormal, I shove my wallet into my pocket, vacate the room for the final time, and head downstairs, leaving my backpack at the foot of the stairs as I lope into the kitchen for breakfast.

This morning, it is fried eggs with toast and two sausage links—accompanied by a glass of orange juice. As soon as I am done, I kiss my mother on the cheek to exhibit gratitude then rush upstairs to brush my teeth. This task completed, I rush back downstairs, swoop up my backpack, head out to the garage, and drive off to school.

As soon as I am clear of my neighborhood, I turn on my music, bopping my head faintly as I make my way to school.

The only reason I get up early in the morning is so that I can get good parking. Thankfully, this pays off. I get my choice of parking in the Junior Lot—also known as the "Asian Parking Lot"—due to the fact that almost every car in the parking lot tends to be those belonging to Asians whose parents buy them cars. Even though my car is not as great as I want it to be… it is not a total piece of junk, and I am glad that I have done yard work and chores for the past three years just to be able to earn it from my parents.

I head straight for the library—because this is where I kill my time before first period starts.

Entering through a side door, I walk through the "silent study" area into the main room of the library. I hang a left, heading into the reference section—which is adjoined to the computer room. I seat myself in a rolling chair, nudge my chair closer and get on an open computer.

After getting bored by the sites I am looking at, I decide that I should kill time by reading. Picking up my bag off the floor, I get up and push my chair in before making my way over to an empty chair in the reference section. There is nobody really around. I like this; I prefer the quiet and the solitude. Sitting down in the hard, uncomfortable, square wooden chair at this rectangular table, I set my bag down on the floor, to my right. It makes my butt hurt and makes me wish that I had chosen to sit in the room with the comfortable chairs... but now I am too lazy to move.

Digging through one of the smaller pouches of my backpack, I find the book that I brought from home—one of my favorites: _Through the Looking-Glass (And What Alice Found There) _by Lewis Carroll. Due to my vivid imagination… and my penchant for being transported to other worlds… this one quickly became a favorite of mine that I read about once a month. We are only about two weeks into the school year… so I am due to start re-reading for this month: September.

Reading about Alice makes me wish that the mirror in my room were a portal to another dimension or world; that maybe there was a "Looking-glass House" that looked just like my room… except everything was turned the wrong way. And then maybe this "Looking-glass House" would lead me on a wild adventure.

I happen to think that ordinary life is extremely boring; but I do my best to plod along in it, keeping my mind fresh and active at every opportunity I get by reading many books (fantasy, mostly), writing my own imagined stories, and daydreaming (not always at the most opportune times—such as math class, when I _should _be paying attention to the equations being written on the overhead… but, instead… I am busy jotting down notes for my next "big adventure"—my next story). It is a good thing that I have friends—or at least people that I _know_—I don't really consider them _friends_—in all of my classes who can catch me up to speed on those days where I cannot force myself to pay attention.

I get distracted from Alice talking to the white kitten about the Looking-glass House when my long-time friend, Kairi, sits down across from me, huffing irritably. Lowering my book, I question, "What's wrong, Kai?"

I rather regret asking—even if she is upset—because once you get Kairi started on a rant, you will be hard-pressed to stop her. The girl has the gift of gab; and, I am convinced, if used for evil… it could destroy the world.

As she jabbers on about how unfair her parents are being—due to the fact that she went over on her minutes and texting—costing them an extra two hundred dollars—I float away, gazing at her and nodding at the opportune times, offering, "Yeah, parents can be rough!" (and comments like this). At one point, she indignantly wonders, "I mean… do they not _realize _how important my phone is to me? It's my _lifeline_; I would _die _without it."

"Uh-huh. So would I, were I in your position…."

In my mind, though… I am not really there. I am busy wondering about the mirror in my room—if maybe, somehow, I can transform it so that I can have my big adventure.

"_I just don't see __**why **__they have to take it __**away**__! So I sent a few too many text messages? They were __**important**__!" _

"Of course they were, Kai. You need to communicate with your friends. It's perfectly understandable…."

"_Exactly! God! I wish they were as understanding as you are, Sora…." _

Before I know it, the bell is ringing, and it is time for first period. Kairi continues to chatter away, still grumbling about her cell phone being taken away until she can "show more responsibility," as we walk to class together.

* * *

When I get home, I do my usual routine: I make myself a snack, watch a little TV while eating it, do my homework (at my mother's behest), then go upstairs into my "hole" (as my mother calls it)… where I spend the rest of my evening until dinnertime… and to which I retreat after dinnertime.

Today, after checking my e-mail, (after finishing my homework), I flop down onto my bed—stomach-first—and resume reading _Through the Looking-Glass. _Were it not for the fact that my mirror is at the foot of the bed, and does not even face my bed, I would be constantly glancing at it as I read. Since it is not so, my attention remains on the book and does not wander over to my mirror.

Before I know it, shadows are creeping into my room, and I must turn the touch-lamp on my nightstand on. Time flies when I get sucked into my fictional worlds, and all too soon, I am being called downstairs for dinner. I cry, "Coming!" and shove my ornate, filigree bookmark into place. Its golden tassel pools on the mattress as I shut the book, leaving it on my bed as I bound from the room. My door remains open a crack; and, since I am paranoid about leaving my door open, I rush back to close it. The delicious aroma of dinner wafts up to me as I race down the stairs, jumping off the second-to-last step.

After dinner, I return to my room as usual—with the intent of resuming my reading. However, my mirror is too enticing. Something about it looks… mysterious, tonight. I stand before it, gazing into the eyes of my reflection. I wonder aloud, "Is there a Looking-glass House in there?" I have often wondered this… but, tonight, I seem more intrigued—more ready to believe that there really could be something magical about this mirror. Shaking my head, I jump back onto my bed, settling down onto my stomach as I open up my book again.

It would be neat if there were a Looking-glass House….

* * *

_My brows furrow as I hear the sound of rapping—like knuckles on glass. My first thought is to go to my bedroom window. I kneel on my bed, peering out it to see if there is something out there—maybe a branch tapping my window—but there is nothing. Then I hear it—the rapping—it sounds again… and this is when I realize that it is coming from none other than my mirror. _

_All of a sudden, the memories from the night before hit me full-force. I move to stand in front of the glass, softly greeting, "Hi." _

_**"Hey. …I got this feeling that I should do that instead of calling out." **_

_I admit with a small grin, "Yeah. If you had called out… you might have given me a heart attack!" _

_**"Well… I wouldn't want that. You seem to be the only one that I can talk to." **_

_My brows furrow. "What do you mean?" _

_**"I mean… I can only talk to you. You're the only one that contacts me. And, as crazy as this sounds… I can only talk to you, in your dreams, because, otherwise… I am here in the darkness… alone." **_

_"That's kinda cool—makes me feel special." I can't resist asking, "So… are you an elf or some mythological creature? I mean… the description you gave me last night seems… abnormal… for a human." _

_**"…Well, I was telling you what I saw. And, no… I'm pretty sure I'm not a mythological creature." **_

_I laugh at this. As my short bout of mirth ends, I find that I can think of nothing to say. _

_The guy on the other side of the mirror requests, __**"Tell me about yourself. I want to know about the person to whom I am speaking." **_

_I scratch at my cheek, mumbling, "Umm… well… I have a really vivid imagination. Most of the time, I prefer to live in my fantasies… as opposed to reality." _

_He chuckles. __**"I get that sense from you. After all, you keep bringing up mythological creatures. So… you like fantasy…. What else? What sort of things do you do in your free time?" **_

_Even though I do not know to whom the hell I am speaking, I find that I like his voice. It is deep… but oddly comforting. He comes across as… lonely, though. I probably would be, too… if I were locked in a dark room, by myself, with no one to talk to. _

_I sigh pensively before uttering, "I like to read. I read a lot of books—mostly fantasy… sci-fi… those sorts of things. I won't admit it to anyone… but I'm rather fond of romance—not erotica, mind you!—but romance…." _

_He chuckles, remaining quiet in an attentive way. I continue, "I like to write. I write a lot of stories—things that pop into my head. As I said, I pretty much live in my imagination. I suppose that makes me a good writer. Anyway… umm…." I rub at my hair, staring up at the ceiling to think of what else to say. I laughingly say, "I'm really boring. Guess that's why I prefer to daydream and imagine great things." _

_He prods, __**"There isn't anything else you like to do? What about your friends? What do you do with them?"**_

_I muse, "I don't get out much, but when I do, I do things like go to the movies. Sometimes, I go to blitzball games with Kairi—she's my best friend. We've been best friends since forever!" _

_**"Do you like her?" **_

_"Huh?" My brows furrow in confusion. I question, "Kairi? …I don't know. I never thought about it. I think it'd be weird… because we've been best friends so long. I don't think I'd want to be her boyfriend anyway… then I'd never escape her chatter!" _

_He chuckles at this. __**"So she's a motor-mouth, then?" **_

_"Yeah. I mean… earlier today… well, it's probably __**yesterday **__by now considering how I went to bed just before midnight because I was caught up in reading…." Shaking my head, I resume, "Anyway… it happened in the library before school started. I was sitting there, minding my own business, trying to read… when she just __**plops **__down in front of me, looking sour. Ever the good friend, I ask her, 'What's wrong?' I should have never asked that; I think I opened Pandora's box with that one. She started complaining about how unfairly her parents treat her—starting with the fact that they took her cell phone away because she went way over on her minutes and texting. Truthfully… I tuned her out. I was thinking about other things. I just kind-of agreed to whatever she said. Heh!" _

_**"She sounds annoying." **_

_I frown, deciding to reply with something I have always felt to be true in my heart: "Annoying… but loveable. She's very sweet. And even though she talks too much… she's very considerate. She's a good friend." _

_**"What about your other friends?" **_

_"Hmm…. Well… Kairi's really my only friend—she's the one that I hang out with the most. I'm sort-of friends with Kairi's friend, Selphie… but not that much. I'm more the type of guy that has a bunch of acquaintances… but no real friends. You know?" _

_**"Yeah. I know what you mean." **_

_Staring at the mirror, I decide that I want to try something. I stand up; the sound of my movement causes whoever to ask, __**"What is it?"**_

_I murmur, "I want to try something…." My right hand ghosts over the clear surface of the mirror as I elaborate, "My tapping on the glass 'woke' you… so, maybe… if I try something else… we might be able to see each other." I press my hand against the glass, closing my eyes. I order, "Be very quiet. I'm going to try and concentrate really hard. I think… maybe… if I concentrate hard enough… since this is my dream… I can fall through the mirror—like Alice!" _

_**"Alice?" **_

_My eyes still shut, I distractedly mumble, "Yeah! Like Alice! Alice in _Through the Looking-Glass _by Lewis Carroll. It's one of my favorite books." _

_The guy gives a short, amused laugh. I insist, "Be quiet now so I can concentrate." _

_Focusing all of my energy, I imagine the glass softening into something that my hand could pass through. Focusing inward, I picture my hand actually going __**through **__the glass. My stomach drops as my hand abruptly falls through something akin to glacial air…. _

_I hear a frightened, masculine yell that makes my heart jump. Opening my eyes, I see that my hand is… gone. My wrist is just… up against the mirror? As if my hand were inside it or something. _

_I blink, my heart racing. I ask, "Can you… Can you see me?" My right hand begins to shake from the cold that I feel—whatever is on the other side of the glass. _

_**"Y-Yes. Yes, I can see… your hand." **_

_I am not sure what to do at this point. Pursing my lips, my brows furrowing again, I command, "Take my hand… and… pull! Take my hand, and pull me through!" _

_He stammers, __**"O-Okay!"**_

_My heart palpitates as I feel a pair of cold hands clutch mine. I begin panting, anxious about what may or may not happen. I grip the hands surrounding mine very tightly, swallowing, praying that nothing bad is going to happen. _

_**Maybe this is a bad idea…. Maybe… Maybe he's a ghost or something! Maybe he's going to suck my soul out if I go through the mirror! Oh, God! **_

_It is too late, now, though—the person on the other side of the mirror violently tugs at my hand… and my body is propelled forward… through the mirror. I shut my eyes as I fall through the chilliness, holding my breath. And then, I collide with something; and the thing and I fall to the ground. _

_Opening my eyes, looking downward, I find that the thing that I collided with… is none other than a fair-skinned, sickly-looking, silver-haired teenage guy clad in a white t-shirt and black pajama pants. He stares up at me in shock, his jaw hanging slightly open. I grin, laughing a little as I greet, "Hello!" _

_He blinks at me a lot, his long eyelashes fluttering against pale cheeks as he murmurs, "Hello…." I find myself lost in those aquamarine eyes of his. They seem… magical…. _

_It is at this instant that I notice that I am unintentionally straddling his hips. I decide that now would be a good time to get off him. Putting my hands on either side of his head, I push myself up into a standing position, swaying, a bit off-balance. I clutch at my head due to the brief spell of vertigo that seizes me. When it clears, I reach down my hand, asking, "Are you all right?" _

_He nods, still staring up at me in a disbelieving kind of way. I lower my hand further, insisting, "Here. I'll help you up." _

_Hesitantly, he reaches out his hand… then grabs mine. I shudder as chills run through me. His skin is like ice! Pushing past this uncomfortable, cold feeling, I grasp his hand and pull him to his feet. He releases me, whispering, __**"You're warm…." **_

_I retort, "And you're freezing." _

_Looking around, I mumble, "You really weren't kidding. This place is really… dark." I muse, "It doesn't seem like a dungeon…." _

_He replies, "I never said it was a dungeon." _

_I nod, murmuring, "True…." I find that I cannot see much. The only light around is the pale, ethereal, silvery light that comes from the mirror. I question, "Why isn't there any light in here?" _

_The guy shrugs, muttering, "I don't know. If this is your dream… why don't you imagine some light?" _

_"Hmm…." I turn around to see what I can see through the mirror. To my surprise, I see my room. I exclaim, very excited, "My room! Look! It's my room!" _

_My companion stands beside me, peering through the glass at my bedroom. "It's nice…. I wish this place were more like it." _

_I grin at him, cheering, "It can be! This can be like the Looking-glass House! It can be the reflection of my room! All we have to do is imagine it to be so!" I rotate my head a bit to take in the darkness behind me; and then I look into my room. As I stare at the computer desk and the door (which is all I can see through the glass), I imagine that my belongings replicate behind me. After a long moment, I turn around to see if it worked. _

_It did. Sort-of…. Okay… not very much at all…. _

_My companion blinks some more, amazed at the change in environment. There is a door—my door. My computer desk is there—along with everything on it. This is really all that is here—except for the wall that these things belong to or against. He steps forward, commenting, "It's… incomplete." _

_I decide, "That's because I was only going off of what I saw in the mirror. Maybe…." I peer at the scant things that now fill the room. I blink in astonishment as my other belongings spring into place. Everything is now here—even my bed. The only thing is… everything is opposite to the way it is in my room. _

_I muse, "I wonder what happens if I were to fall asleep on the bed in here." _

_The person beside me suggests, "Maybe… you'd… never wake up. Maybe you'd go into a coma…." He frowns at this; his brows furrow; his eyes get sad—worried and sad. I swallow at this frightening thought; I decide that I do not like the sound of it. _

_For a change of subject as well as for something to do, I decide, "I think I'll turn the light on." First, I turn on the computer desk lamp; then, I turn on the bedside lamp. Immediately, a cheery glow fills the place. I sit on my bed, staring around the backwards version of my room. All of the posters on my walls are now reversed—the words—the images. Looking at my nightstand, I find that _Through the Looking-Glass _has become: _

_ssalG-gnikooL eht hguorhT_

_yb_

_llorraC siweL_

_Only… the letters are backwards, too. Flipping through the pages, I find that the text is impossible to read—everything is reversed._

_I set the book back in the same spot that I found it. _

_"Sora…." _

_I turn, surprised to hear my name in that voice. "Yes?" _

_"Did you… remember me… when you woke up?" _

_I purse my lips, shaking my head regretfully. He sighs in a sad kind of way. "I thought so. So, when you're awake… you don't remember anything that happens here…." _

_"No… I guess not." _

_He smirks wryly, offering, "Well, thanks for bringing me some light in the darkness. I appreciate it. Will you come again?" _

_I grin, responding, "Of course! Whether this is real or not, it's definitely entertaining. Besides… it's not like it's hurting me any. Plus… it gives you company." _

_He nods, uttering, "I could really use some company…." _

_My grin widens. "I can do better than that. Not only will I be your company… I'll be your friend! I'll keep you company; I'll talk to you; and I'll make things less lonely in general. How 'bout it?" _

_His pale lips stretch into a faint smile. "That would be nice."_

_"Great! That settles it! You and I will be friends, then!" Growing pensive, I wonder, "What should I call you, though? I don't know your name…." _

_"Well… I don't think it really matters… for now. I mean, we'll be talking to each other face to face… just the two of us. It sucks that I don't know my own name, but… at least now I'll have someone to talk to. Actually, before you came along, I don't think… I don't think… I… existed." His brows furrow as he looks down, contemplating this notion. _

_I question, "Are you saying that you __**exist**__ because of me? That I… created you?" _

_He looks up at me, shaking his head as he utters, "I don't know." _

_I grin, asking, "Does that make you my imaginary friend?" _

_He gives me a dry look, muttering, "I don't much like the idea of that." _

_I sober up, agreeing, "Neither do I. So… I'll just call you my friend—of the regular type." _

_"Okay." _

_We stand around awkwardly, unable to think of what to say to one another after this. I ask, "What do you do when I'm not around?" _

_My "friend" looks pensive at this; he purses his lips. "I think… I go to sleep. And then, all of a sudden, I wake up… and I sense you—on the other side of the mirror… wherever you were." He smirks, adding, "At least now I can picture where you are, and know that you'll be in your bed, before you come to the mirror." _

_I grin. "Yeah." _

_We fall quiet again. It is rather hard to talk to someone that you don't know—especially when they have nothing to talk about… because they do not know anything about themselves. _

_He watches me, carefully regarding me. I nervously question, "What?" and run my hand through my hair, peeking at him… at those amazing eyes. I flush at how intently he stares at me. _

_He utters, "You were truthful about your appearance."_

_I pout at this, a bit affronted that he thought that I might have lied. "Of course I was!"_

_Pursing his lips, he wonders, "Weren't you the least bit scared of what I could be? I mean, for all you knew, I was just some creepy voice that came out of your mirror. You know nothing about me." _

_I confess, "Well, when you grabbed my hand, and started to pull me through the glass, I panicked. That was my 'Oh, shit!' moment; but now that I can see you… and talk to you in person… I feel better." _

_He smiles. "I'm glad." After a moment, he murmurs, "Sora?" _

_"Hmm?" I tilt my head. _

_"Will you come to me every night?" _

_"I'll do the best that I can to. I mean, if I don't show up… that probably means that I'm sleeping elsewhere—somewhere besides my room, you know? I think that… the mirror is our link. And, if I fall asleep somewhere else, I won't be able to get to you." _

_He implores, "Try to fall asleep in your room, then… please. I… I don't like… I don't like the idea of not existing." _

_My heart aches at hearing such a sad statement. I promise, "I'll do the best that I can. If it's within my power, I'll come to you every night." _

_He smiles faintly at this, nodding. "Thank you… Sora." _

_I grin at how odd it is to hear my name in his voice, from his lips. I probably find it odd because I do not have a name for him. Whatever the reason, when he says my name… I tingle pleasurably. _

_"You're welcome." _

_Suddenly, my right hand twitches—a signal that my dream is coming to an end—that I am waking up. I glance up at… **Nobody**… and state, "My body's waking up. I have to go. I'll… I'll see you tomorrow night." _

_He frowns; his eyes get sad; however, he nods in understanding. "See you." _

_"See you." _

_He follows me as I stand before the mirror. Pursing my lips in concentration, I put my hand to the glass—it slides right through. I turn my head, grinning as I repeat, "See you." And then… I carefully step through the mirror. _

_Turning around, I gaze into my Looking-glass Room. I do not see him… but I see my belongings. Heaving a sigh, I return to my bed, getting under the covers as I settle down to sleep._

* * *

Opening my eyes with great effort, I find that my limbs feel heavy. I feel _exhausted_… and I have no idea why. I love the daylight, and I love sleeping; I try to sleep as much as I can—when I have the time—but I most definitely hate waking up. This morning is no exception. In fact, because I seem more tired than usual, I hate this morning more than others.

_This does not bode well…. _

Usually, when I wake up feeling tired, the rest of my day is hard to enjoy; in general, I am quite irritable.

At school, Kairi notices that I seem tired. She asks, clutching a textbook (which is too heavy to keep in her bag) to her chest, "What time did you go to bed?"

Stifling a yawn, I mumble, "I don't know. The same time I usually do—eleven-ish? Actually… I think it was closer to midnight. I got caught up in reading…."

She helpfully suggests, "Maybe you had a dream that made you tired!"

I shrug. "Maybe…."

For the rest of the day, I halfheartedly focus on my classes. During lunch, instead of eating (which I am normally all for—considering how hungry I get), I snooze—not quite falling asleep… but not fully awake. I get a chance to rest my eyes, as it were.

When I get home, I have a big snack, and I tiredly work on my homework. As soon as I am done, I make my way upstairs. It is already evening; so I turn on my bedside lamp, touching the metal base in order to illuminate the bulbs. I settle down to read more of _Through the Looking-Glass_; and then, my head falls forward onto my pillow, and I drift….

* * *

_I lift my head up, staring around me blearily. Looking down, I find that I still have the book open on my bed. I sit up, blinking a lot. Some of the pages of my book flutter so that my place is lost. _

_**"Sora…?" **_

_I jump in surprise, realizing immediately that I am no longer awake… that I am dreaming. Getting up, I venture toward the mirror. _

_**Nobody**__ (as I have unfortunately begun to call my nameless friend) asks, __**"Isn't it early?" **_

_I mumble, running a hand over my mussed hair, "I think I fell asleep while reading…." _

_**"Oh. I've been sleeping all day… but… just now… I woke up." **__After a pause, he mutters, __**"I blame you…." **__I chuckle at this. _

_I am a little disturbed that I cannot see __**Nobody**__. I ask, "Can you see me?" _

_**"Yeah, actually… I can." **_

_I mutter, "Guess it's not a two-way thing, then. All I see is my reflection." _

_**"Oh…. Well… you could always step through… and we could talk." **_

_Glancing at my clock, I note that dinnertime is nearing. I murmur, "I don't think I should. Dinner will be ready soon… and my mom will probably come to wake me up soon. I should just stay here for the time being." _

_**"Okay." **_

_After a brief pause, __**Nobody**__ wonders, __**"So… how was your day? What did you do?" **_

_I laugh at how odd these questions seem—coming from him. "Not much, really. Went to school… came home… had a snack… started reading… fell asleep… ended up here." _

_**"Oh. Well, I'm glad you're here now." **_

_"Yeah. Me, too." _

_Oddly, I find that I am more… at peace… when I am in the dream world. Something about __**Nobody**__… this person that I do not even know… soothes me. _

_Just as I open my mouth to talk to __**Nobody**__ about some of my classes, my body jerks involuntarily. The familiar voice of my mother sounds inside my head, calling out my name. I jerk again, feeling as if I am seizing… but, really… I am being jostled… jostled… awake… into reality…._

* * *

_"Sora! Wake up, honey! It's time for dinner!" _My mother shakes my shoulder a bit roughly—because she knows that I am a rather heavy sleeper.

I lift my head, staring at her through half-lidded, sleep-clouded eyes. "Okay…." I manage to get out of bed, yawning as I follow her downstairs.

She worriedly insists, "You should try and get to bed earlier—so you won't be so inclined to nap—especially right before dinner."

"Okay, Mom."

Dinner is typical: My parents and I sit at the table, focusing more on eating than talking… but occasionally mentioning things about our day.

After dinner, as I am online, surfing the Web, my mother calls from downstairs, _"Sora! Telephone! It's Kairi!" _

I meet her halfway down the stairs, where she hands me the phone. Walking back to my room with the phone to my ear, I greet, "Hey, Kai. What's up?"

_"So, I was thinking: This weekend, we should do something fun! I saw that there's a new movie playing. Wanna go see it?" _

I shrug, responding, "Yeah, sure. Sounds like fun."

_"Great! Well… I'll talk to you more about it tomorrow. I'll look up the info tonight… and then we can plan during tomorrow for Saturday. Okay?" _

"Okay."

_"Okay…. See you tomorrow!" _

"See you."

I hang up, setting the cordless on the computer desk. I then spend a few hours doing things online… and typing the newest chapter to my story. When I grow too tired to keep my eyes open, I brush my teeth and head to bed.

* * *

_I lie in bed for a moment, my eyes remaining shut. Only when I hear the soft call of, __**"Sora?" **__do I open my eyes and get out of bed. _

_Standing before the mirror, I gaze at my reflection. I burst into laughter at how ridiculous I look. _

_Oddity # 1: My hair is very messy—I surmise that I rolled around a lot as I was still in the limbo of being half-awake but not completely conscious. _

_Oddity # 2: I am clad in nothing but boxers. This is more embarrassing than anything. Even with the boxers, I feel as if I am standing around naked. _

_**Nobody**__ chuckles at me, teasing, __**"Looks like someone was too lazy to put some clothes on before going to bed." **_

_I snort, "Yeah, well… it's not like I remember that someone is going to be seeing me. If you want, I could dig out some clothes to put on." _

_**"No, no. It's fine. I don't mind. Just come on in." **_

_Uneasy about putting my foot in first, I put both my hands through. __**Nobody**__ grasps them, tugging me through. This time, we do not fall; we merely stumble a little, laughing at this. I find that it is now warm in here—just the right temperature—the same as my room. I also notice that __**Nobody**__ is looking less sickly—still pale… but less sickly. He is clad in black boxers and a gray t-shirt this time. It seems that we always see each other in bedtime attire—which makes sense… considering that we only see each other in our dreams—or my dream… whichever. _

_We both sit on my bed, side by side. I rotate to my left, and he rotates to his right; we each bring up one leg, bending the knee of this one leg so that we may sit facing each other this way. _

_I state, "Kairi called me after dinner, asking if I wanted to go to a movie on Saturday. I agreed. I nearly said, 'I haven't got anything better to do!' but I realized how messed up that would sound… and so I didn't say it." _

_**Nobody**__ chuckles at this. "Do you know what movie?" _

_I shrug, answering, "I have no idea. She said that we'll sort the details out tomorrow." _

_**Nobody**__ questions, "Is tomorrow Friday?" _

_"Yeah. I think it is." _

_He nods, falling quiet. Finally, he wonders, "What do you normally do on Fridays?" _

_Grinning, I happily respond, "Well, after school, I go to the Anime Club at my school. That ends about four. Then I drive home—!" _

_He interrupts, "You drive? What kind of car do you have?" _

_"Yeah. I drive a two-thousand Mitsubishi Mirage—a four-door sedan—red. I did a bunch of chores and yard work to be able to 'earn' it from my parents. Now that I have had my license for a while, my mom let me have it." _

_"When's your birthday?" _

_"February twenty-fourth." _

_He nods before prompting, "Sorry. I interrupted you. You were saying about Anime Club…?" _

_I blink, trying to remember. "Oh…. Umm… it ends at four. Then I drive home… I do my homework until dinner… and then I spend most of my time on the computer—usually working on my stories." _

_He scoots a little closer, wondering, "What are your stories about?" He peers interestedly at me. _

_"Well… different things, really. The one that I was working on earlier tonight… is about a teenage guy—with blue eyes and brown hair—pretty much a self-insert—named Seth… who stumbles upon this magic mirror in his attic one night. He stares into it… and sees his own reflection… but, then… he starts to fall—not face-forward—he jerks around… and falls backward into it. Only… he keeps plunging deeper and deeper into the depths, his eyes shutting as the cold air that feels like bubbles fizzes past him. He thinks that he is going to suffocate… but then something akin to warm air engulfs him… and he is able to breathe again. _

_"He opens his eyes and sees the most beautiful woman he has ever seen smiling at him—serenely—mysteriously. (I've decided that she will have platinum blonde hair and piercing blue eyes—light blue.) Then… she comes forward and kisses his cheek, cupping his face with her pale, soft hands. The next thing he knows… he is back in the attic, staring into the mirror… but freezing cold." _

_I sigh, uttering, "Anyway, it's a work-in-progress… but I'm thinking that he'll keep returning to the mirror at night… looking into the depths to try and spy the girl. And, really, it will be her magic that draws him to her again and again… and she will draw him into his fantasies—only they will become reality… a place from which he can come and go. She'll transport him… because she needs his help—to free her from her prison in this dark castle where they are trying to use her magical powers for evil. And… I don't really know what else. I'm contemplating naming her Naminé. I just started it a couple of days ago. …The night before I met you, actually." I make a noise of amusement at this odd coincidence. _

_**Nobody**__ smiles, his aquamarine eyes fixated on my blue ones. "It sounds interesting. Maybe… when you finish it… you could tell me exactly what happens." _

_I nod my head. "Yeah. Maybe I will." _

_Without any warning, he sidles up against me, wrapping his arms around me. I shiver from the tingles that caress me due to how warm and soft his skin is. He rests his head on my shoulder, mumbling, "I wish I could be there with you in the real world. I know that we don't know each other that well… but I already feel very close to you." He squeezes me tighter, holding me closer. I swallow, not sure how to react to this. _

_**He must be really lonely…. **_

_His eyelashes brush my skin as he shuts his eyes, murmuring, "You're so warm…. It feels nice…." _

_I feel strange. Something feels different… but I cannot put my finger on it. I am cold… but my chest feels warm. I feel… __**comfortable**__ in __**Nobody's**__ arms… even despite the tingles that run through me. Just as I am about to lay my head against his, my hand twitches—it is time for me to wake up. _

_**Nobody**__ pulls back, sighing. He smiles at me, offering, "See you tomorrow, then." _

_I nod, pushing on the bed so that I may more easily stand up. He follows right behind me, offering me a hand and watching me as I step through the mirror. I cast him one last glance—one last smile—before allowing myself to completely leave the Looking-glass Room._

* * *

I nod my head, covering my mouth as I yawn. Kairi double-checks, "So the four-twenty showing is fine?"

"Mmhm."

"Great! So... you'll pick me up about an hour before?"

"Yeah. Then we'll go to the theater… get our tickets… go inside… get stuff at the concession stand… and then find good seats. After all that… we'll sit around in the theater for a good half an hour, talking, waiting for the movie to start. Sound good?"

She laughs. "It sounds fine to me!"

"Good."

Kairi allows me to return to reading at this point. Having finished the page that I am on, I turn to the next one. For one moment, my mind shifts from the story of Alice to some random idea for my story—something interesting for _Seth _to encounter. I quickly shove my bookmark into place before whipping out my small notebook and pen (which I always keep in my pocket for just this sort of moment—the moment when a great idea hits me).

My idea in my scribbled fashion of notation:

_Seth should have best friend. _

_Name: look up cool names later – something starting with 'R' might be cool—maybe Japanese. _

_Age: 18 (year older than Seth) _

_Appearance: Pale; stylish (long) silver hair (ponytail? Something cool-looking); eyes blue/green/ mix of two? Remind Seth of ocean. Taller than Seth. _

_Character: Seth's best friend. Figure out how two meet later. Maybe Seth about to get attacked – guy saves him – protector from moment on. (Too cheesy? Come back to this later.) _

_Seth wish guy were real. _

I pause at this point. My mind loses its focus as that last line repeats in my head, becoming altered.

_I wish he were real…. _

My brows furrow in confusion; I blink a bit, not understanding this odd thought. Something strikes me, and I go back to add details to the guy's appearance.

_Aquamarine eyes. Gorgeous smile—dimples. _

Pushing past the awkward fact that I just used the word 'gorgeous' to describe a _guy's _smile—a _fictional _guy's smile, nonetheless!—I add onto the section for "Character," tacking this following bit on after the parenthesis at the end.

_All the girls love him. Sexy; lady-charmer; Seth jealous but never admit. Guy very reserved; smirks more often than not. Seth gets him to open up eventually, though. _

I flush at my notes; somehow, my notes make Seth seem very… gay. This influences me to put my notepad and pen away—to resume reading.

I read until the bell rings, signaling the end of the lunch period. Shoving my book in my backpack, I give Kairi a quick hug, wishing her a good afternoon before making my way to class.

* * *

_By now, I simply get out of bed and head straight to the mirror. In what is quickly becoming a routine, I greet the mirror with a soft, "Hi," and get a __**"Hey. Come on in,"**__ in reply. I push my hands through… and then __**Nobody**__ grabs them, pulling me the rest of the way—gently—slowly—so that we no longer stumble. Instead, I step through. We then release each other's hands and convene at the bed, just sitting. _

_We sit on the bed as we had the night before—this will become something customary between us as well; I can tell. __**Nobody**__ smiles, asking how my day was. I tell him about my classes… about the plans for the movies tomorrow… and then I confess, "I almost thought about you today. I was reading _Through the Looking-Glass _at lunch… and then I started to make notes for my story—for a new character for my story (whose traits rather coincide with yours), and I felt this little tickle in the back of my mind. I didn't know what it was… so I brushed it off… but… I think it was me… almost thinking about you." _

_**Nobody**__ smiles joyously at this, covering my hand with his left one as he utters, "I'm glad. Maybe… you might start to remember… as time goes on." _

_"Maybe." _

_We become quiet, regarding each other's hands. __**Nobody's**__ fingers twitch lightly; and then… he brushes his fingers against the back of my hand, caressing my skin. My heart gets a strange tickling sensation to it; warmth floods my cheeks. For the rest of our time together… __**Nobody**__ and I sit like this—silently… together… with him caressing my hand with the lightest of touches. It puts me at peace… and makes me reluctant to leave. It takes a great deal of willpower to leave tonight… because all I want to do is stay._

* * *

**A/N: Thus marks the end of the first chapter. I know that this novella is probably full of clichés… but… meh. I don't care. I'm still writing it. Enjoy it or not… that's your choice. If you don't enjoy it… stop reading and leave me be, please. I really don't care if you don't like it. **

**For those of you who do… please review!**

**Also: I recommend that you all read _Through the Looking-Glass_. Below is a link to the e-text version of it. (Please remove the spaces.) Enjoy! **

www. cs. indiana. edu/ metastuff/ looking/ lookingdir. html**  
**

**Kagome-chan **


	2. Discovering Riku

Chapter Two: Discovering Riku

Before I know it… the new week starts. I keep going to bed at my regular time—sometimes _earlier_—and yet… I wake up tired—always tired. I muse aloud as I work on typing more of my story, "What does my subconscious _do _at night?" Shaking my head at this notion, deciding that I don't want to know… I focus on my writing.

Despite my fatigue, I do my best to remain my usual self. (Although, I must admit: the fatigue makes me prone to dozing and daydreams—more so than usual.)

On Tuesday, I fall asleep—_really _fall asleep—at the lunch table.

* * *

_For some reason, I am in one of the school bathrooms—one of the ones that have the walk-in doorway. I walk in, peering around, on the alert because I have a bad feeling. I feel… nervous… scared. My adrenaline rushes. _

_And then I see him—this guy with silver hair dressed in mostly black clothing… sitting on the floor… his back against the wall… his knees up against his chest… his forearm draped over the tops of his knees… his head bowed. _

_My brows furrow, and I blink, regarding him. Something in me causes me to step forward—slowly—cautiously. _

_Suddenly, the guy speaks, seemingly unaware that I am there. His voice is rough… hushed; I can barely hear it… but when I do… I realize something: __**It's… Nobody. **_

"_They're all going to stare…. They're all going to whisper… whisper about the freak! I can't do this…. I can't… I can't go…. I can't…. They'll all stare! They'll all whisper!" _

_I kneel in front of him, hesitantly placing my hand on his arm in a concerned, friendly gesture. He jerks, lifting his head. Those aquamarine eyes lock onto my blue ones; I swallow at the intensity of them—at how they seem to glow. He looks terrified… fragile. I smile, but the expression falls when __**Nobody**__ stares at me… fearful… distrustful…. I frown as I question, "Don't you recognize me? …I'm Sora! …Remember?" _

_He starts trembling and shakes his head, uttering, "I don't know you…." _

_My heart squeezes painfully. I remind, "The Looking-glass Room? The mirror? Remember?" _

_He shakes his head, his wide, glowing, utterly entrancing eyes staring at me. This is when I realize: Of course he would not know me. We are not in my room… we are not in the Looking-glass Room. That is where we convene… that is where we know each other. _

_Shaking my head, I smile, offering, "No one is going to say __**anything**__! No one is going to stare! You'll be fine! —Trust me!" _

_He swallows, fearfully wondering, "Won't they stare? I would… if I were them. I would whisper… if I were them." _

_I insist, "No! They won't! Not if you hold your head up high… and face them with a brave face." _

_He vulnerably admits, "I'm scared. I'm scared that I'll… that I'll… see HIM!" He looks down, avoiding my eyes. _

_I inquire, "Who?" _

"…_My best friend. The one… The one that started all of this in the first place…. It's not his fault… but… if I see him… it will hurt! I won't be able to handle it!" _

_I grasp at his arm as I assert, "I'll be there to help you." _

_His eyes find mine again as he nearly whispers, "I don't even know you…." _

_I grin, crying, "That doesn't matter! I'll still be there to help you… and you'll feel better for it—because you know that you'll have support no matter what!" I clutch at his arm, firmly declaring, "You can do this! You can go! You HAVE to go! If you don't… you'll never be able to face your fear… and you'll never be able to live again." _

_He stares at me… and then… a tear drops from the corner of his eye. "Thank you…." _

_I smile as he puts his hand on mine, squeezing it gratefully. And then… my body jerks… and the room fades into darkness._

* * *

_"Sora!" _

Someone shakes my arm.

_"Sora! The bell rang! C'mon! You'll be late for class if you don't get up now!" _

Lifting my head, I rub at my face, mumbling words that even I don't catch—probably a bunch of gibberish. Kairi smiles, insisting, "You should get more sleep at _home_."

I mutter, "Yeah…" and grab my backpack from the tabletop, swinging it onto my back as I yawn. My body feels sluggish as I head to my fifth period.

* * *

As soon as I finish my homework, I head upstairs, flop down on my bed, and stare around my room. I am exhausted_—_and lethargic_—_but… I cannot seem to fall asleep. Due to this, I head to the computer so that I may listen to music and type.

Time seems to fly; and then I am being called down for dinner. My mother tells me that I look tired; I shrug while quietly eating my meal. My mother insists that I should go to bed early tonight… because I look so tired; I nod in agreement, hardly listening to her.

After dinner, I break my routine by taking a shower before bed, getting dressed in freshly washed boxers and pajama pants, deciding to not wear a shirt to bed. I stare dully into the mirror in the bathroom as I comb my hair; as I brush my teeth.

My footsteps are slow as I shuffle toward my bedroom, tiredly shutting the door behind me once I am in.

I wearily throw myself onto my bed, lying flat on the covers, my face half-buried in my pillow. It takes a while… but I do manage to fall asleep.

* * *

_Lifting my face from the pillow, I blink a bit before pressing my hands down on the mattress so that I can get on my knees. Sitting back on my feet, I blink some more, looking around. I get so lost in staring around me for no apparent reason that __**Nobody**__ is actually forced to call out, __**"Sora…? Are you there?" **_

_This moves me to action; I hop off my bed and run toward the mirror, shoving my hands through urgently. I am so impatient that I nearly start blindly stepping through before he grabs my hands—almost. _

_Grabbing at __**Nobody's**__ arms, I pull him over to the bed, claiming my usual spot as I pull him down into his. I hasten to tell him, "I fell asleep at school today—during lunch. I had a dream…." _

_He swallows, watching me intently as he prods, "And?" _

_"Well… I was in a bathroom at school… and I saw someone sitting on the floor__—__against the wall. Their knees were against their chest, and they looked… upset. They were talking to themselves. When I stepped closer, I saw that that person was… you. But… you didn't recognize me… because… we weren't here. But, somehow… I still knew you." _

_He asks, "What happened?" _

_Thinking back, I recall, "You were worried about… going somewhere. You thought that 'they' would stare at you… whisper about you. You said that you were scared to see someone… your best friend__—__because he started it all, apparently. I don't know what, exactly… but you were definitely terrified about going… wherever—to school, I think—I'm guessing. _

"_So… I told you that I would be there to help you. I gave you very generic advice—saying that you should just go… and face your fears… but that you wouldn't be alone—because I would be there to help you. You got tearful… and you thanked me… and that's when Kairi woke me up to go to class." _

_**Nobody**__ stares at me with admiring eyes, murmuring, "You're amazing. Did you know that?" _

_I grin, teasing, "Oh, so, first I'm a freak… now I'm amazing?" _

_He completely ruins my teasing by intoning, "Yes." I smile ruefully at him. _

_Rather abruptly, he pulls me into a hug, earnestly mumbling, __**"I care for you so much, Sora…. You're my world. You're all I have." **__I can feel his arms and his clothes against my bare skin; they feel… nice. _

_As sweet as this is… it makes me uncomfortable. My heart stirs… and I realize that I, too, care for this person… this person that I do not even know—this person that may not be real. And this hurts me. This hurts me so much that I pull back from him, frowning, wanting to get away. _

_Bowing my head, I utter, "I don't know if I can handle this… handle… keeping this up. It's getting… difficult. I care for you… but… it hurts." I regard him, exclaiming, not quite yelling, "I don't even know if you're real! I wake up every morning exhausted—and for what? For these moments? For glimpses of a dream? It makes me hurt inside!" _

_His hands come to clutch at mine. Tears form in his eyes as he cries, "Sora! Please don't do this! I need you! Without you… I'll die! I know it!" _

_I jerk away from him, standing. My vision blurs as tears begin to swell in my eyes. I insist, "But you're not even real! I don't even know your name! For all I know… you could just be in my imagination! You're not __**real**__!" _

_He comes after me, falling to his knees as he clutches my hands, begging, "Sora, please don't go! I'm __**real**__! I know that I'm __**real! **__Please!" The tears in his eyes streak down his cheeks, hanging onto his jaw for a moment… before falling. His voice softens as he implores, "Believe in me, Sora. Please…." He starts sobbing. His voice gets choked up as he utters, "I know that you're the reason that I still exist. I know that I'm real! You have to believe that! You have to!" His grip tightens on my hands as he insists, "Feel me…. I'm just as real as you are. If I weren't… wouldn't I be different? Even in your imagination… wouldn't I feel different than this?" _

_"I don't know…." _

_"Sora, please! Swear to me that you'll come back! Don't leave me here without any light! Don't let the darkness swallow me!" His fingernails dig into my skin as he painfully screeches, "Please!" _

_This is what causes my tears to fall; they splash as they hit the person kneeling before me on the forehead. I shakily reply, "Okay…. I'll come back… for you…. I promise." _

_He swallows; his voice wobbles as he whispers, __**"Thank you…." **_

_My right hand twitches—my signal to leave. I help __**Nobody**__ to his feet… and the two of us walk to the mirror. __**Nobody**__ pulls me into a tight hug before releasing me, allowing me to return to my side of the mirror while assisting me with his hand. I climb into bed, underneath the covers—which I pull over me. I stare at my nightstand for a moment before closing my eyes… and drifting from the dream world…._

* * *

Opening my eyes, I find that I am lying on my left side… underneath my covers. Blinking, I bring my hands up to my face, and am surprised to find it… faintly sticky. I get out of bed, heading to the mirror. Peering forward, I take note of my appearance.

There are dark circles under my eyes, but, more than that… my eyes are bloodshot—my face is sticky from what can only be… tears. I cried in my sleep….

This unnerves me; it makes my heart uneasy. Gathering up my clothes for the day—which consist of dark jeans and one of my all-time favorite t-shirts—a brown one with beige lettering declaring:

_erA uoY_

_!lufituaeB _

It is not really the message that made me buy the shirt—it was the fact that the letters were reversed, therefore making it impossible to read unless you stood in front of a mirror.

The rest of the morning is normal… until second period. Second period is typically when I have to relieve my bladder. So, after asking my teacher if I may go_—_and getting reminded that I only get _five _minutes in the bathroom_—_I grab the pass and vacate the classroom, feeling more and more lighthearted the further I get from the room.

As I walk along the cement pathways, I get the sense that something is guiding my feet; that something is leading me… somewhere. I notice that the nearest bathroom has the gates closed. So… I must head to the _next _nearest bathroom. And it is as I am walking into there that I get this odd sense of déjà vu. My heart skips a beat as my eyes land on a figure across the room… sitting on the floor… his back against the wall… knees tucked against his chest… forearm across the tops of his knees… his silver-haired head bowed. He is dressed mostly in black, and, for some reason… I feel as if I know him.

I take a few cautious steps forward, hoping that he is all right. He hears my footsteps and slowly looks up, staring at me. As I stare right back at him, he finally—irritably—asks, "What are you staring at?"

I question, "...Do you have any idea how filthy that floor is? Most people wouldn't deign to touch it with their shoe… let alone their butt."

"I'm not most people."

"I can see that."

Sounding vexed, he mutters, "Didn't you come in here for a reason?"

I grin, responding, "Yeah. To ditch class. I was going crazy in there. However, my teacher is strict—she's got me on watch—she times how long I take in the bathroom—not just me—the whole class, really. So… I have a maximum of five minutes here before I have to head back to class. I set the alarm on my watch and everything."

He snidely says, "Good for you."

I frown, retorting, "You don't have to take that tone. I'm just making conversation."

"Well, maybe I don't want conversation! Maybe I want to be left alone."

I laugh at this. "Nobody wants to _really _be left alone. And those that do…." I trail off, hoping that he will take the bait.

"'Those that do…' …what?"

"Those that do must never have had human contact before—must be scared. I'm willing to be that you're the type of person that likes to pretend that he wants to be alone… but really craves human contact. And that's where I come in!"

His nose crinkles as he suspiciously questions, "That's where you come in… and do what?"

I shrug one shoulder, casually answering, "Talk to you—make conversation. Ask you how you are… don't take no for an answer… and basically annoy the crap out of you until you talk to me—all in the space of five minutes." I grin at him… and his eyebrows lift up; he regards me with wary eyes.

Stepping forward, still grinning, I offer, "We'll start with an introduction. My name's Sora—Sasaki. And you?"

He purses his lips but eventually mutters, "Riku—Shimizu."

I beam delightedly at the fact that he gave me his name. My heart tickles with pleasure at this simple act. I muse, "You know… I know that I'm going to sound insane when I say this… but I just have to! I am the type of person that believes in fate… destiny… what have you. And I think… I think that it's fate that you and I met today." His brows furrow; he regards me with wary, concerned eyes again. I elaborate, "You see… I know I don't have much to go off of… but here is what I have so far…."

I hold up the respective fingers as I begin ticking off reasons.

"Number one: You happen to be sitting in the boys' bathroom at the very moment that I enter. Not only this… but the bathroom nearest to my classroom was _closed_!

"Number two: You are sitting, which attracted my attention because normal people do not sit on filthy bathroom floors. And I do not like normal people very much—I find them boring. (Although… even if you were standing, leaning against the wall… I might have still talked to you—but probably not in the same way… which would have altered the course of this conversation.)

"Number three: You claim to have the desire to be left alone. Everyone knows that anyone who says that is usually full of shit. Being that I am the type of person who does not take no for an answer… the type of compassionate person that likes to explore areas that normal people back away from out of fear… I am the perfect person to have stumbled upon you.

"Number four: Our names. I find it ironic that your name means 'land' and my name means 'sky'—in Japanese. I find it ironic because where land and sky meet is the horizon. And, for me, one of my favorite things about this world… is the horizon—everything about it—especially the symbolism. For me… the main symbol of the horizon is that of strength and light. It symbolizes the future and hope."

I jut out my thumb, displaying all five fingers as I finish, "And, finally… Number five: I have this funny feeling in my heart that I am right where I am supposed to be… at the exact moment that I need to be."

My companion blinks at me before uttering, "You're a freak. Did you know that?"

I laugh wholeheartedly at this. "Yeah, I know! It's why I have a maximum of… one friend! Probably the only reason that she's my friend is she finds my madness endearing." I shoot him a carefree grin. His brows furrow again, and he purses his lips, peering up at me.

I decide, "I'm feeling uncomfortable with you just sitting there while I am standing. So… either I sit down with you… or you stand. Personally, I would prefer not to sit on the disgusting bathroom floor. But… it's your choice."

My lips curl into a smile as I offer my hand in case he decides that he wants to stand up. After staring at it for a good few seconds, he grabs my hand, allowing me to pull him to his feet—albeit with a tiny bit of difficulty considering that he is larger than I. The momentum carries him forward into me a bit; we nearly topple over. His face hovers before mine. He is at least a couple of inches taller than I am. I flush at the close proximity, but I laugh, softly greeting, "Hello." He says nothing… and drops his hand, turning away so that he faces the sink, keeping his head down—avoiding looking in the mirror. His hands grip the edge of the sink as he stares at the drain.

I step forward, up to his side, and peer down with him, wondering, "Do you ever wonder what lives down in the sewers? Do you think that mutant creatures live there?"

He turns his head, giving me a look that clearly says, _'About what the hell are you talking?' _

I simply grin at him, declaring, "You know… you seem familiar to me. I swear I've seen your face before. Truthfully… you look like something out of one of my stories. I'm always making up fantastical characters—ones with unique eye and hair colors—usually flawless in appearance. Aside from those dark circles under your eyes… I'd have to say that you fit that description. It makes me rather jealous. I feel rather inferior standing next to you."

His brows furrow yet again; he questions, "Stories?"

I grin, exclaiming, "Yeah! Fantasy, mostly! I like to write fictional stories—things that pop into my head. I figure, since I daydream so often… and pretty much live in my imagination… I might as well do something productive with it! So… I write stories based off of ideas that pop into my head! Oh! And from books that I read! I draw inspiration from a lot of things!"

The alarm on my watch goes off. I scowl at it, swearing, "Damn! Looks like I have to go…." Looking up, I cry, "Hey! You should come sit with me at lunch! I have second lunch… and I sit with Kairi over by the east gate—near the cafeteria. You know those tables under the pavilion? Yeah! We sit there! So… you should come sit with us! And… oh! Here! If you can't find me… you can call my cell!"

Digging in my right front pocket, which happens to be big and baggy, I produce my small notebook pad and pen. Flipping open the cover… and rifling through a few of my used pages, I scrawl out my full name and my cell phone number, tear out the page, and offer it to Riku. He warily takes it, regarding it for an instant before shoving it in his pocket. His eyes come up to meet mine; he mutters, "I'll think about it."

I grin, clapping him on the shoulder as I gush, "Great! Hopefully see you at lunch! Have a good day!" And then I bound off, shoving my belongings back into my large pocket, happily humming under my breath as I get back to class.

* * *

It is now lunch. I sit down in my usual spot, making certain that the spot to my left is open—in case Riku decides to drop by. In fact, I am so sure that he will… that I don't even open my bag yet—I spend my time keeping an eye out for his noticeable appearance.

I catch sight of Riku and grin. Standing up, I unabashedly call, waving my arm to attract his eye, "Riku! Over here!"

Even from afar, I can see him purse his lips. He seems to debate with himself… before reluctantly coming over. I scoot over, patting the spot to my left on the bench. He sits down, setting his brown paper bag sack lunch down on the table. I grinningly introduce my two friends, gesturing across the table, "Hey, Kai! This is Riku. Riku, this is Kairi—she's the friend I told you about earlier."

Kairi smiles, murmuring, "Nice to meet you."

Riku merely nods. He then slowly opens his bag, pulling out the contents and setting them on top of the now-flattened bag. I spy a Granny Smith apple, a sandwich of some kind in a Ziplock bag, and a bottle of lemonade. I deduce that he eats healthily… or perhaps someone at home forces him to eat healthily.

My lunch consists of: a bag of chips, a can of soda, a banana, a Ziplock bag full of grapes, and an open-ended plastic ("sandwich") baggy full of homemade chocolate chip cookies—baked fresh the night before. I decide to save the cookies for last—for dessert! As I begin eating, with Riku quietly chewing a bite of his sandwich, I ask, "So… tell me, Riku: What genres of literature do you enjoy reading?"

Kairi rolls her eyes, informing Riku, "You'd better be honest. Sora judges what type of person you are by the books you read. Trust me: He did it to my friend Selphie… and, ironically, pegged her personality quite accurately."

I grin, insisting, "You are what you read!"

My friend teases with a smile, "Guess that makes you a girl who falls through a mirror into another world!"

I protest, "Excuse _me_, dear _Kairi_… but that is not how it is done. In the case of me reading _Through the Looking-Glass_, one could merely surmise that I enjoy—nay, entertain! —the idea that my mirror is—!"

She quotes me from many times before, "'A mystical portal that has the potential to lead me into strange, wonderful, exciting new worlds!'" She smirks at me while I glare at her. Riku snorts into his sandwich, clearly finding this amusing—even though he does not even smile.

Clearing my throat, I continue, "In the instance of _Through the Looking-Glass_, I merely enjoy the thought that something exciting could happen to me on an ordinary, dull day."

She counters, grinning, "And then you'd wake up and find it all to just be a dream."

I cross my arms over my chest, insisting, "Even if something like that were to happen to me… and it were a dream… I would enjoy every instant of it!"

She chuckles at me. "I bet you would, Sora. I bet you would…."

I give off a small "Hmph!" at her mockery of me before tearing off a grape—which I pop into my mouth. Riku bites into his apple, minding his own business. Kairi distracted me so much that I nearly forgot about my original question to Riku—which I now repeat.

He blinks, regarding the tabletop pensively while thinking on my question. He finally declares, "Stories with angst… but with happy endings. I don't like character deaths."

Kairi grins, exclaiming, "Sounds like Sora! He believes that every story should have a happy ending! And… even though he will kill me for saying this… he likes _romance_!" She giggles while I glare at her, scowling and blushing in embarrassment at my secret being exposed.

Glancing at Riku, I notice that a small smile tugs at the corners of his mouth; he whispers without looking at me, _"I have a secret affinity for romance, too." _I grin, glad that he told me this—it makes me feel better. He turns his head slightly, looking at me from beneath those long, dark eyelashes of his that contrast with his pale skin; his little smile turns into a conspiratorial smirk. My grin widens… and I happily return to eating my lunch.

About a minute later, Selphie pops up, sliding in on Kairi's left, gushing, "Oh, my God! You'll never guess _what _happened!"

Deciding to mock their girlish behavior, I lean forward, asking, "Oh, my God! _What _happened?"

Riku gives a short laugh into his apple but tries to cover it up by clearing his throat. Selphie scowls at me, getting snippety at my mocking tone. "I wasn't talking to you, _So-__**ra**_"

I roll my eyes, muttering, "I hate it when you say my name like that…."

She beams, batting her eyelashes at me. "I know you do! Now… mind your business!" I roll my eyes as she turns to Kairi, gushing about the latest development in what I have classified as: _The Tidus Files. _

Riku squirms uncomfortably at their talk of how _hot _and _sexy _and _just plain gorgeous _the blond blitzball star is. I lean in close, whispering in his ear, _"Ignore them. They're boy-crazy. They've had their sights on Tidus since freshman year… but, frankly… I don't think they'd ever have a chance. There's this girl Yuna in my math class… I know for a fact that she likes Tidus… and Tidus likes __**her**__! So… all their talk is just wishful thinking." _

I say, raising the volume of my voice, "You hear that, girls? _Wishful thinking_!"

Selphie and Kairi roll their eyes simultaneously. Kairi turns her head, declaring, "You're just _jealous _because every girl in school is crazy for Tidus… and not one of them is interested in you _that way_. Probably because… you're not very sexy."

I get indignant at this, protesting, "I can be sexy! I _am _sexy!"

Both girls snort derisively at this, rolling their eyes; Selphie mutters, "I'll believe it when I see it!"

I scowl at them both, pouting—yes, pouting—as I cross my arms over my chest. Kairi sighs, trying to appeal to me, "Sora, listen…. I think it's about time you realized: You are not the _sexy _type! You're more like… the brotherly type—the, 'Oh, Sora! You're such a good friend!' type—the far-too-adorable-to-ever-be-considered-sexy… type. You know?"

I huff at this, muttering, "Yeah, I know…."

Selphie _helpfully _suggests, "You could always try batting for the other team… if you know what I mean!" She giggles.

I roll my eyes, blushing at the mere suggestion. Kairi insists in a studious tone, "What I said just now holds true for Sora as a person; whether he's gay or straight… that doesn't change any of those factors."

Selphie muses, "Hmm… you're right." The two then return to gossiping about Tidus, uncaring about my wounded ego.

I mutter to myself, "Maybe I'd rather 'bat for the other team'! At least _guys _wouldn't gossip… or talk too much about things that nobody cares about but them… or _giggle_!" The girls do not even hear me; they grin, and they giggle, and they continue chattering. I roll my eyes yet again.

Riku mumbles, his words soft and not very distinguishable, _"I think that you could be sexy… if you wanted to be…." _

I grin, bumping against him playfully with my side as I reply, keeping my voice low lest the girls hear me, _"Thanks! I think you're sexy, too!" _I wink at him… and he busies himself with eating more of his sandwich, his hands obscuring the lower half of his face; his fingers curve in such a way that they hide his cheeks as he ducks his head. Thinking nothing of this, I happily resume eating my own food.

As the girls chatter, we merely eat. Riku finishes before I do… and gets up to throw his bag out. When he returns, I open my little plastic baggy and pull out a thick, soft cookie. I offer it to him with a grin, asking, "Want a cookie? I just baked them last night!"

Kairi refutes, "You can't _bake_, Sora. Your mom does all the cooking at your house!"

I sneer, "Just for that, you're not getting the extra cookie I brought just for you!" She pouts at this… but then forces herself to resume conversing with Selphie… who eyes my cookies yearningly and swallows. I make a big point of gushing about how _delicious _the cookies are_—_how, even cold, they _melt _in my mouth_—_and I slowly lick my lips, clearing them of any chocolate smears. I even go so far as to suck on my fingertips to grab any crumbs. Kairi and Selphie—both fans of my mother's cookies—scowl at me, their eyes reproachful. Riku quietly chews on his cookie, looking appreciative at the yummy taste.

I bemoan, "Woe to he who eats all of the cookies! The women folk be after ye!"

Riku snorts, muttering, "You really are a freak!"

Selphie chirps, "Aww! But he's a _cute _freak! And we love him just the way he is!"

"Thank you, Selphie… but you're still not getting a cookie."

She pouts, offering, "What if I tell you that I think that you're sexy?"

I refute, "That is bribery—and _lying_—both of which are bad! So… no!"

Grabbing the third cookie, I break it in half, willfully giving the other half to Riku. As I nod at him, we both bite into it at the same time, smirking. The girls glare and turn away, ignoring us for the rest of lunch.

Once I finish my lunch, I get up to throw my bag away. Unfortunately, just as I sit back down… the bell rings. Standing back up, sliding my backpack on, I ask Riku, "What's your next class?"

"Math."

I grin, chirping, "Me, too! I'll walk with you!" On my way past Kairi and Selphie, I cannot resist ruffling their hair. Very annoyed at me, they squeal my name at me in a humorous way, hurrying to fix their hair. I chuckle, calling, "See you! Have a good day!" They scowl at me, resentfully not saying anything back.

Looking back over his shoulder as we walk, Riku wonders, "Do you always antagonize them like that?"

I snort, "Nah. Today's just special—because they wounded my ego by telling me that I'll never get a girl!" I laugh at this.

Riku smirks, suggesting, "You could always follow Selphie's suggestion."

Chuckling a bit, I retort, "I'll think about it!"

Right at this moment, someone bumps into Riku. I immediately recognize him: Tidus—the person about whom almost every girl on campus gushes. He blindly puts his hand on Riku's shoulder, apologizing, "Sorry! I—Riku?" The two stare at each other… and Tidus quickly withdraws his hand, running said appendage through his hair. He nervously asks, "Are you okay? I… heard about… what happened."

Very rigid, Riku mumbles, "I'm fine. …Thank you for asking."

Clearing his throat, Tidus awkwardly says, "All right…. Well… take care!"

Riku stiffly nods… and Tidus waves before hurrying off. That silver head bows; he trembles. Instinct guides me to put an arm around his shoulder, drawing him close against me. (This is a little bit difficult considering that he is taller than I… but I make it work.) Deciding to overlook Tidus's cryptic comment about something having happened to Riku, and knowing that Riku wouldn't want to talk about it with me anyway, I speak to take Riku's mind elsewhere.

"So… do you walk home—take the bus—drive?"

His voice is distant as he mumbles, "I walk…."

I grin, exclaiming, "I was hoping you would say that! Now I can offer you a ride—since, amazingly enough, I drive! How 'bout it? Want a ride home?"

He swallows… then nods—a bit more fluidly than before.

"Great! My car is parked in the lot by where we ate lunch! Meet me by that gate—actually, no! Meet me by that cement bench. You know which one I'm talking about?"

"Yeah."

"So… you'll come? Because… if you don't… I _will _end up sitting in the parking lot for hours… and I happen to have an afternoon routine by which I like to abide—so, really, you'd be throwing my whole day off if you ditch me."

He mutters, "I'll be there."

As we approach the math building, I wonder, "Are you busy this afternoon? Want to come over to my place for a bit before I take you home?"

"I thought that you have a routine 'by which you like to abide'."

I laugh, retorting, "I do! But... I like the idea of spending time with you—getting to know you better… better! That and my mom will want to meet my new friend. So… yes?"

"…Sure."

"Awesome! Well… this is my classroom. I better go. Have a good day! See you after school!—The cement bench! Don't forget!"

He regards me, unsmiling, as he assures, "I won't."

I grin, waving lightly as I head into the room and take my seat. I am unable to get rid of my grin… because I am just so _happy _to have made a new friend… and I feel really good about this afternoon.

* * *

As I make my way toward the gate on the east side, passing the pavilion on my right, I swallow nervously. I worry that he might not be there—that he might change his mind and leave—that maybe I came on a little too strong.

Stepping through, I grin in relief—he is sitting there, on the bench. I run toward him, apologizing, "Sorry I'm late! My sixth period is way on the other side of campus! Ready to go?"

He nods, and slowly stands, putting his backpack on. He walks beside me as we move forward then turn left, climbing the three cement steps that lead to the parking lot in which I have parked my car. We start to go near a couple of girls (whose car happens to be parked only a couple of spaces away from mine)… who stop smiling as soon as they see us—see Riku—not even noticing me—and then they turn to each other, whispering. I frown at this, instinctively not liking it.

My suspicions are confirmed as Riku seems to withdraw into himself. Pursing my lips, I make a quick decision. Right as we pass them, I rather awkwardly put my right arm my tall friend's shoulders, saying loudly to Riku, "God! I hate it when people whisper about me behind my back! It pisses me off! I mean, _really, _are those people _so _pathetic that they have to waste precious moments of _their _life belittling _me_? That's just stupid! The next time I see someone whispering about me… I'm going to march right up to them and say, 'Hey! I'm happy with who I am. Obviously, you're not happy with who you are… if you have to insecurely pick on someone else. Why don't you stop wasting your time and think about how to fix _your _screwed up self?' Or… something like that. I don't know what I would say—but something like that."

One of the girls laughingly cries, "What a freak!"

Looking over my shoulder, I call, "I wasn't talking to you, sweetie! Mind your business! Better yet: Go do something productive with your time—like eat something! Your body will thank you!" I grin at them… then turn away, guiding Riku to my car as I state, "Here it is." I unlock the passenger door for him, waiting for him to toss his backpack on the floor and get seated before I close the door.

Feeling rather proud of myself, I go the driver's side. The girls are talking to each other while casting glances at me, obviously saying what a weird person I am. I grin, crying, "Bye, ladies!" just before I put my backpack in the backseat, get in the car, and close the door.

I utter, "Before you say it: Yes, I know—I'm a freak. And I'm damn proud of it! Now… let's go!"

Just before I start up the car, Riku quietly says, _"Thank you." _

I smile, nodding my head. "You're welcome." I then pull out of my parking space, maneuver around the parking lot until I reach the exit. Pausing briefly to wait for a car to go before me, I turn onto the street. I ask, "Would you prefer the quiet… or the radio?"

_"The quiet…." _

I nod my head in agreement to this to show that I am fine with it—whether he is looking at me or not.

Despite the fact that Riku's reply of wanting _quiet_ clearly means that he would rather be left to his thoughts, I take this opportunity to ask him questions—starting with: "So… in what grade are you?"

_"I'm a senior." _

"Oh. I'm a junior—so are Kairi and Selphie. …How old are you?"

_"Seventeen. I'll be eighteen in late November." _

"Ah. I'm sixteen. I won't turn seventeen until February twenty-fourth."

He says nothing in reply… so I ask, "What's one of your favorites books—and what do you like about it?"

_"I like _Pride and Prejudice _because of the banter between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. I like the themes of vanity among the rich, too." _

Grinning, I wonder, "And the romance?"

He gives a small laugh, adding, _"And the romance…." _

I offer, "One of my favorite books is _Through the Looking-Glass_ by Lewis Carroll. As you heard at lunch… I like the idea of being able to go somewhere interesting on a dull day—or, to be more accurate—just the thought of traveling _anywhere_! Heh!" I cry, "Hey! I'll show you my room when we get in! Then I can show you my mirror, and you can see why I think that it is not just a mirror—but a magical portal."

He snorts, muttering, "Okay…."

Considering that drive is a short one, I decide to let Riku sit in the quiet after this—we simply drive along in silence. As I turn into my cul-de-sac, I cry, "Here we are! Approaching my house… right… now!" And then I turn onto the driveway, opening the garage door with the remote attached to my visor. Once the car is parked, I get out of the car, opening the door behind mine to get my backpack out. Riku stands by the front of the car, his backpack slung over his right shoulder, his hand on the strap as he waits for me. I hurriedly bound toward him—toward the door that will lead inside the house. I do not need to tell him to take off his shoes; he does it automatically—right as I take off mine.

I open the door for him, gallantly gesturing for him to go first—and then I follow, closing the garage door on the way in.

Clutching at the right strap of my bag, I call, "Mom! I'm home! …And I brought a new friend with me!"

I listen very carefully and hear a far-off reply: _"Oh! Welcome home! I'm in the kitchen!" _

Riku trails after me as I make my way into the kitchen. My mother tosses a dish towel onto the counter, having just finished drying her hands, and turns toward us, smiling. She greets Riku by saying, "Hello! You must be Sora's new friend. I'm Sora's mother, obviously—but you may call me Kumi, if you so wish. And you are?"

He seems a little nervous about meeting my mother… probably considering that this is the first day that he has even met _me_… so his voice is soft as he replies, "Riku Shimizu."

My mother smiles, nodding her head as she declares, "Well, Riku! Feel free to make yourself at home! In fact… would you like to stay for dinner? It isn't very often that Sora brings a friend over—I can't even remember the last time Kairi was here! You've met Kairi, haven't you?"

"Yes, I have. She seemed… sweet."

I grin at this, tempted to snicker.

Tilting her head, my mother requests, "So… you'll stay for dinner, then?"

Shifting a little uncomfortably, Riku responds, "I don't know. I'd have to call my mom first and see if it's okay."

"Oh! Go right ahead! Here's the phone!" She grabs the white cordless from its cradle, handing it to him. He quietly thanks her before dialing his home number. I find it interesting that he speaks in a mixture of English and Japanese to his mother.

"O_kaa-san! _May I stay for dinner at my friend's house?"

There is a pause. He yells, obviously repeating himself—just in Japanese, _"Ban gohan! Ii desu ka?" _

Another pause. He emphasizes, _"__**Sora**__**! Sora's house!" **_I feel tickled that my name was said with a Japanese accent. I like the way it sounds.

He impatiently listens to his mother before replying, "I met him today. He was really nice to me. He invited me to have lunch with him—and he said he could give me a ride home—he will—either now or later. His mom asked if I wanted to stay for dinner."

He scowls, insisting, "I'm being serious! You want to talk to him?" He frowns, glancing at me. He covers the bottom of the phone with his hand, murmuring, "She wants to talk to you."

I shrug, holding out my hand to take the phone; he warily hands it to me, watching me as if this will somehow help him to hear the conversation better. "Hello?"

_"Are you a __**furendo **__of Riku's? Sora?" _She says my name—and Riku's—the Japanese way. I find this endearing; I rather like the sound of our names in Japanese. Her voice has a heavy accent—I can tell that speaking English is a struggle for her.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm Sora Sasaki."

_"Sora… who?" _

"Sasaki."

_"Ohh. You… You nice to Riku?" _

For some reason, I blush at this question. "Yes, ma'am. I know that I just met him… but I really like him. I was hoping he could stay and have dinner with me and my parents." Repeating the sounds I heard Riku make earlier, I ask, _"Ii desu ka?" _

Apparently, my speaking Japanese tickles something inside of her—perhaps it warms her to me. She sounds quite happy as she asks, _"Ah! Anata wa nihongo o hanashimasu ka?" _

I shoot Riku a 'help me!' sort of look, mouthing, 'Nihongo what?' He grins at this, whispering, _"She probably just asked you if you speak Japanese. Say, 'Iie. Sumimasen deshita.' It means 'No. Excuse me.' The 'deshita' makes it more polite." _

Blindly following Riku's directions, I respond, _"Iie. Sumimasen deshita." _I then add, "I was just repeating what I heard Riku say, actually."

She laughs at this, complimenting, _"Your Japanese… it's very good! Good pronunciation!" _

Grinning, I say possibly the _only _word that I know in Japanese: _"Arigatou!" _Riku whispers a word at me—and I hastily tack on, _"…gozaimashita!" _

Furrowing my brows, I give him a questioning look. He whispers, _"It makes it more polite!" _I nod in understanding.

_"__**Ano**__… You… You seem like very nice boy, Sora. You… You take good care of Riku, __**ne**__?" _

"Umm… yes. Good care!"

_"Okay. Bye-bye now! Tell Riku I say, 'Bye-bye!'" _

"A-All right! Goodbye!"

_"Bye-bye!" _She abruptly hangs up the phone, leaving me to do the same.

I laughingly relate, "She says, 'Bye-bye!' …I'm assuming that you're allowed to stay for dinner." Riku smirks at this, his eyes swimming with emotion. It makes my heart feel warm. Tilting my head, I suggest, "C'mon! Let's go to my room!"

Just as we move to do so, my mother reminds, "Sora! Homework first!"

I complain, "Do I have to? You said it yourself: I practically never have friends over!"

She gets stern on me. "Think of it this way: The sooner you get your homework done… the sooner you can hang out with Riku!"

Heaving a sigh, I nod in acquiescence. Riku follows me into the dining room, where we sit at the table. I shrug, smiling as I offer, "At least you can try and get your homework done early!"

He nods, bending down to fish his binder out of his backpack. He murmurs as he opens up to a certain section, "You might just be a good influence on me…."

I laugh, declaring, "Maybe… but I bet you'll still end up getting Senioritis!"

"Probably." He bends down again to fish out _another _binder—this one is slimmer—as well as a couple of textbooks.

I snort, "Glad I'm not a senior!"

Riku quips, "You will be next year!"

I have a system for doing my homework: I go chronologically by period; if a period does not have an assignment, I skip to the next one. Once I get through my homework assignments for periods one through three, I crack open my math textbook, groaning, "Ugh! Algebra II!"

Riku wrinkles his nose, not looking up from whatever he is writing as he says, "I remember how much I hated Alebra II. Of course… last year… I took Math Analysis—Trigonometry—and that was a bitch—much worse than Algebra II, in my opinion. This year, I'm taking it easy by doing Probability and Statistics. And the only reason I'm taking a math class this year… is for college applications."

"Hehe. Good idea."

We continue working in silence. I spend so long getting stuck on my math homework… that Riku actually finishes all of his homework… and watches me struggle. Finally, he scoots his chair over, peering down at the problem with which I am struggling. He then begins to tutor me, using his memory… and the book… as a reference.

We look up as my mother pops her head in, smiling. "I know you won't like me saying this… but… you two look adorable together." Hesitating for a moment, she requests, "Riku? Do you think that you could help Sora with his math homework everyday? He really struggles with it… and I'm not much help. I understand if you wouldn't feel comfortable with coming here everyday… but I'm sure that it would be very helpful—whatever amount you could do."

Riku regards her, blinking a couple of times. Finally, his face stoical, he replies, "I wouldn't mind."

My mother and I both grin. She gushes, "Great! Glad to hear it! I'll bring in some snacks in a bit. You two should get back to work!" We nod, and she leaves the room. Riku looks down at the book again, pointing out the example—the different steps that were taken. I nod to show that I understand… then attempt to recreate it by doing a problem. I make a mistake, and Riku stops me by putting his hand on mine, pointing his other index finger at the line above the one I was writing. His hand slides away from mine as I erase my mistake and try again—this time, writing it accurately. He nods at me, and we continue on.

Ten minutes later, my mother enters, placing a plate of baby carrots and sliced cucumbers and radishes in front of our books. Grabbing a baby carrot, I dip it in the puddle of ranch that fills the center of the plate, popping it in my mouth. I gesture at Riku to help himself—so he takes a slice of radish, dipping it lightly in the ranch before placing it neatly in his mouth, politely chewing it for a while before swallowing.

So… snacking intermittently, we work on my math homework. We finish the plate of vegetables near the end of the assignment. Once we are done, Riku checks his watch, noting that it is nearing six o'clock. We clean up our stuff, putting our belongings in their respective spots in our backpacks—which we leave by the door that leads to the garage.

Right as I put my hand on the banister—and my right foot on the bottom step—my mother appears, informing us that dinner will be ready in an hour. We nod then turn and ascend the staircase; Riku follows behind me as I gesture at certain rooms… while showing off others (such as the upstairs bathroom—in case he needs to use it). Finally, we stop at my room. I grin in anticipation before opening my door and letting him enter before me.

"Obviously… this is my room." I point at each object as I say, "My computer desk—and everything on it. My dresser. My bookshelf. My nightstand. My bed. And this…" I approach the mirror, "…is the infamous mirror. Now. You tell me: Does this not look like a magical mirror?"

He comes forward, peering at it pensively. After a great amount of thinking, he softly proclaims, "It could be magical." I grin at this answer—Kairi always just tells me that I am too imaginative.

"Glad to hear you think so!"

We both stare into the mirror—at the way we look standing side by side. My shirt exclaims, _'You Are Beautiful!' _

Riku murmurs, _"I think it's ironic that you chose to wear that shirt today of all days." _

Looking to my right at him, I question, "Why?"

He shrugs, obviously not wanting to state his reasons—evidently regretting having even said anything. Somehow, I get the sense that he finds it ironic… because he feels ugly. This moves me to put my hand on his shoulder—which causes him to eye my hand… before bringing his eyes to my face, his expression an apprehensive, questioning one. I smirk, saying, "Let me just say this here and now."

Without looking, I smack my left palm upon the mirror, pressing it there as I swear, "Even though I hardly know you… I can firmly state that you are beautiful—inside and out. No matter what has happened to you… and no matter what _will _happen… I know that I'll always think that. This I swear—with my hand on this most magical of mirrors! May I get sucked into a world of doom if I ever _don't _think that you are beautiful!"

He blinks at me before softly uttering, "Thanks… I guess."

I grin, chuckling. "You're welcome."

Glancing at the mirror, I stare into Riku's eyes, deciding, "As long as I am here like this… I might as well add one more important oath."

When I don't immediately mention it, Riku asks, "What oath would that be?"

With the feeling of the cold, smooth glass beneath my left palm… and the warm shoulder of my new friend beneath my right one… I solemnly swear, "I'll always be here for you—when you need me—when you don't—if you want me—if you don't—no matter what! If you're ever stuck in a dark place… I'll be your light. This I swear—with my hand on this most magical of mirrors! May I get sucked into a world of doom if I am ever _not _here for you!"

I give his shoulder a quick pat… before dropping both of my hands. He stares at me very intently; his face has no readable emotions on it; he is very calm. I am unable to tell what he is thinking. Getting a bit embarrassed under his gaze, I rub at the back of my head with my right hand, defending, "Well… really… umm… I did the same thing with Kairi—years ago—when I was a little kid. I guess… I guess it's pretty corny to still do it now, huh?"

Riku softly shakes his head, intoning, "I don't think so. …Thank you."

I grin in relief and cry, "You're welcome!" We stare into each other's eyes for another long moment before I look over at my computer. Turning back to Riku, I wonder, "Want to go on the computer until dinner?"

"Sure."

I take this as my cue and head over to the computer, booting it up. There is only the one chair. I gesture at it, offering, "You can sit down, if you want."

He refuses, "I couldn't. It's your chair. You should sit down. I'll stand."

I counter, "Yeah, well… you're the guest! So _you _should sit down—and I'll stand! I'll just lean over your shoulder."

He doesn't move; I get so impatient that I just grab his shoulder… and sit him down in the chair anyway. As the blue login screen pops up, I lean in front of Riku, typing in my password. While my desktop loads, I randomly ask, "Hey! …Do you want to read a chapter of one of my stories?"

He blinks at me for a moment. "Okay."

"Great!" I swivel the mouse, loading up the document. Shifting positions, I move to stand behind Riku, leaning over his shoulder as I suggest, "I could read it out loud—that way we'd be at the same spot."

Turning my face toward his, I realize that we are indeed very close. I get a little warm at the close proximity but decide to play it off as nothing. Riku simply nods his consent while staring into my eyes. I grin, turning my head to face the computer screen. Starting at the top, I begin to read the prologue of my story aloud.

"'Seth Mason was just an ordinary guy—in an ordinary world—with an ordinary life. The problem with this was: He _wanted _to have the _extraordinary_. He hungered for it; he craved it so badly that he often created his own fantasy worlds—worlds where he was the hero—worlds where he, the hero, went on mystical adventures. In his opinion… reality was boring… and limited. This was why he preferred to dwell in his imagination: because his imagination knew no bounds.

"'Ever since he was a child, Seth would create these fantasies in his mind; he would make up countries… make up languages… make up people… and make up villains whom he could battle and defeat. And because he was the hero… everyone would love him. The people would praise him; whole countries would honor him. In these worlds… Seth was cherished and adored.

"'As Seth grew older, his fantasies began to change. He would still be the hero, but his motives changed—if only slightly. To correspond with his loneliness, and the desire to be loved, he began imagining girls—girls that he would save—girls that would fall in love with him because he was their rescuer—girls that admired him for his courage and fortitude. However, he often got bored with these girls; he could never maintain a constant focus on them… and, in truth… he almost always forgot them."

I pause to swallow, then, continue.

"'In reality, Seth was a nobody. He only had one friend… and even though she was very nice… and they had been friends since they were children… he found himself wishing for something more. Sure, Kari—" Riku smirks at this obvious name change, "—was sweet and a great support about most things… but she wasn't the friend that Seth wished she could be. She didn't support his daydreams; she preferred to mock them with her pretty smile and her sparkling eyes and that oh-so-innocent laugh… with that _sympathetic _voice of hers. She pretended that she supported him, but, really… Seth knew that she thought it was all just one big joke. He would smile and play along… but, really… he just wanted to sigh miserably at the fact that she did not understand him as much as she thought she did.

"'When he was alone, Seth would wonder what it would be like to have a companion who would understand—who would support him and maybe even _join _him in his mystical adventures. Sure, they wouldn't be kids anymore… and they might not be able to play like children could… but they could still go there in their minds; they could still talk to each other… build a whole new world together… be heroes together. They could be each other's best friends."

I blush at this part, having forgotten about how much of a _loser _I sound like in this narration. When I don't immediately continue, Riku turns his head to look at me; I feel his breath on my cheek as he urges, _"Go on. I like it so far." _I nod my head, and we both look at the screen again. After clearing my throat, I continue, blushing for a good long while because of how pathetic I sound. However, as I go on further, I get lost in the narrative, uncaring of how it sounds.

"'All in all, Seth was very lonely. He made everyone around him—his friend(s)—his family—his teachers—his classmates—believe that he was happy; he acted as if he were… but, truthfully, the loneliness gnawed at his heart, paining him. Sometimes, his fantasies could not save him—he would still suffer. Sometimes… the daydreams even made it worse… because it made him realize that his life was pathetic… that he really had no one… that no one really understood him. It was at times like these that Seth would curl up on his bed… and cry—where no one could see him. He would cry tears of loneliness; he would cry tears mourning his solitude; he would cry because there was no one to whom he could turn… no one to whom he could really _talk_… because no one really understood.

"'He built his fantasy worlds… because he couldn't stand reality. He created "characters," who were really just imaginary friends… friends who would understand him… friends that he sometimes hated because they were not real. He hated them at times for loving him… because it made him realize just how pathetic he was. He had to _create _people in his head… just so that he would feel loved. Sometimes, these friends were characters in some of his favorite books—persons that _other _imaginative people had created. However, most of these people were not his friends—his _true _friends. His _true _friends were the ones that _he _created.

"'There was one in particular whom he adored… and wished with all his heart were real. This was his fellow warrior—Ryouichi—whom he called "Ryou" for short. Ryou had—." I cut myself off, flushing and swallowing. I feel too embarrassed to read the rest of the sentence; and even though I know that Riku is reading along with me… I rather hope that he is simply staring at the screen, reading the story only when I say the words.

He turns his head, urging me in the same way as before—except with a simple: _"Go on."_

My heart thudding, I pick up where I left off. "'Ryou had long, flowing silver hair that he always kept tied back in a long ponytail—tied off with a black ribbon. His skin was pale like the moonlight… and his eyes glittered like precious jewels—jewels the color of the sea—sometimes green; sometimes blue—the color tended to change with his moods. Seth decided that the best color name to describe them was aquamarine—namely because he rather liked that word, and he thought that the color was lovely… and that it truly _was _the color of Ryou's eyes. Despite his delicate appearance, Ryou was very tough; he had built up strong muscles from the use of his sword—and, quite frankly, was far stronger than Seth—but Seth didn't mind this. He actually preferred this.

"'Ryou was everything Seth could ever want in a best friend. He talked to him; he supported him; he fought beside him; he risked his life for him—he protected him; he was always and forever his protector. Ryou was someone to whom Seth could confess anything and everything… without the fear of him laughing. The silver-haired warrior was always very serious whenever Seth wanted to talk. However, he knew how to be funny; he had a great sense of humor… and he knew just how to make Seth smile. They would banter… and they would laugh… and they would smile. Their bond was unbreakable; no one could compare to it; no one could touch it.

"'Sometimes, Seth would just lie on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Then, he would close his eyes… and seek out Ryou.

"'He would lie in their favorite clearing… and Ryou would instinctively come to him, sitting beside him. He would sit there silently, knowing that he would not need to say anything—Seth knew he was there… and would talk when ready. And then, Seth would talk. He would tell Ryou about his life in what he liked to refer to as "The Other World"… and Ryou would nod his head, listening intently. After confessing the events of the day, Seth would sit up, and he and Ryou would travel together, exploring—sometimes peacefully—sometimes fighting evil. (It usually depended on the mood Seth was in at the moment.) Either way… they were times that Seth cherished deeply.

"'But, at some point, he would have to tear himself from his fantasies… and return to the real world. Whether because it was time for dinner… or because his mother or father needed him to do something… or simply because he just… _had _to… he would drag himself away from his best friend, promising to come back to the magical land in which Ryou lived as soon as he could.

"'Seth loved Ryou; he honestly considered him to be one of his best friends… despite the fact that he was not real. But, even though he felt so strongly for his dearest friend… Seth couldn't help but wish for that something more—that something more in _real _life. He wanted to stumble upon something exciting—like Alice tumbling through the looking-glass into Wonderland (or, rather, more accurately: the bizarre world involving the chess board, just as strange as the previous dreamscape). He wanted something _extraordinary_. What he did not know… was that he was about to get his wish."

I inform Riku, "This is just the prologue. Chapter one is in a different file… and… I'm still working on chapter two."

He gazes into my eyes as he utters, "I like it so far—it's very good. You're a very talented writer."

I grin, ducking my head as I blush, finally pulling away from him. I walk across the room, my hands clasped behind my head as I shrug and reply, "I guess. Practice does help… and, as I said… I like to do something _productive _with my imagination." I wheel around to face him, my hands slowly dropping back to my sides as I ask, "Would you like to read the first chapter?"

He smirks, nodding his head. I grin and come back toward him. I pause, though, and decide, "I'll be right back—I'm going to go get a chair!" As I rush from the room, I call, "Feel free to use the Internet while I'm gone!"

I pop downstairs, seeking out a chair. As I skid into the dining room and grab one of the four chairs at the table, my mother appears at the doorway, asking me, "Sora? What are you doing?"

I explain, "I'm taking this chair upstairs so I can sit with Riku at the computer."

"Okay. Well, make sure you bring it back down when I call you down for dinner—and I expect you to help me set the table tonight. All right?"

"All right! Just give us a call when you want us to come down! Love you!" I grasp the chair by the back, lugging it to the foot of the stairs. Peering up the long staircase, I purse my lips. This could be difficult….

Hefting the chair in front of me, I struggle my way upstairs, taking a breather on the landing before carrying the thing into my room. As soon as I arrange the chair on Riku's right, I plop down, panting a little. He frowns at me, insisting, "I would have brought it up for you if you'd asked."

I grin at him, quipping, "You can carry it down for dinner, then."

He smirk widens. "Okay."

Scooting my chair closer to the computer—with Riku scooting _his_ a bit to the left to make room for me—I lean in to open up the document for chapter one. Once it is open, I begin reading it aloud. It is about twenty pages long. By the time I finish, my mother is calling us down. After I stand, Riku grabs my chair, hefting it before him as he heads downstairs. He states as we descend, _"You know… taking it downstairs is the easy part. Next time I'm here… just have me carry it up… and you can carry it down." _

Leaning forward a bit, I remind, "Next time being… tomorrow, right?"

He hesitates before agreeing, _"Sure. Tomorrow." _

As Riku sets the chair down in its respective spot at the table, my mother calls from the kitchen, _"Sora! Set the table, please!" _

"Yeah, Mom! Coming!" I grin at Riku. "Be right back… unless… you want to help me?" He shrugs, following me into the kitchen.

My mother scolds, "Sora! Riku's our guest! Don't make him help you set the table!" She softens as she smiles and says to Riku, "Riku… please just relax and sit down at the table."

He insists, "I don't mind. I set the table all the time at home."

My mother sighs but agrees to it anyway. I get down four big plates, handing them to Riku who leaves the room to place them on the table. I scan the cupboards for the bowls that we always use to put our salads in, taking them down one at a time. When Riku re-enters, he takes two, and I take two, both of us dispersing them around the table—as the plates are.

Back in the kitchen, I rifle through the silverware drawer, picking out the necessary silverware from the container as I request that Riku get four napkins, telling him where they are. When I enter the dining room, I find that he set all four cloths on the table, to the right of each plate—folded over once. He says that he'll handle setting out the silverware—that I can go back in to get the glasses. I nod and do so, making two trips so that I do not try to carry four glasses at once. Once the table is set, Riku and I stand back to admire our handiwork. I compliment, "We make a good team!" He shrugs in a noncommittal way.

"_Sora! Come get the salad bowl!" _

I excuse myself, telling Riku to take a seat before I leave to do my mother's bidding. As soon as the salad bowl is in the middle of the table, I rush back into the kitchen to get some potholders and help my mother carry out the casserole dishes in which our meal is contained. (These, also, go in the center.) Riku compliments my mother, "This smells wonderful."

She beams. "Thank you, Riku!" She puts her hand on my shoulder, telling me to sit down right as she turns, calling out my father's name… and that dinner is ready. Then she bustles off to get the pitchers of ice water and lemonade that we have in the fridge, placing them on the table in their usual spots (by the salad bowl). When my father enters, Riku stands.

My father smiles, murmuring, "You must be Riku. Kumi was telling me about you just a little while ago when I came in. I'm Sora's father—you may call me Calvin, if you wish." Riku shakes my father's hand, and the two sit down—my father at the head of the table—Riku right across from me—my mother across from my father.

My father tosses the salad as he conversationally asks, "So, Riku… how did you and Sora meet?"

Handing his plate to my mother, who graciously serves him, he replies, "We met in the boys' bathroom. Sora just… started talking to me… and invited me to eat lunch with him. And… I accepted. We both have the same lunch, because we both have math fifth period—not the same class, though. As we were walking to math, he offered me a ride home… and asked if I wanted to come over. The rest is history."

My father nods, falling quiet as he serves himself some salad. My mother softly says, _"Sora…" _holding out her hand for my plate—I quickly hand it to her, and she serves me large portions of everything, warning me that it is very hot as I retrieve the plate from her. I am quite cautious as I set it back down in its respective, prior spot.

Now it is my mother who makes conversation. "In what grade are you, Riku?"

"I'm a senior."

"Oh, that's nice. Do you know where you're going to college yet?"

"I'm not sure yet… but I'm applying to a lot of different places—most of them out-of-town."

I frown at this, becoming a bit worried. I question, "Why out-of-town?"

He shrugs, mumbling, "Because I have a lot of bad memories here."

My mother coos, "Oh, that's too bad!"

Riku looks uncomfortable as he mutters, "Yeah…."

Cheering up, I suggest, "Maybe you could go to one of the ones here for a year or two… and then we can both go to an out-of-town one!"

He looks at his plate as he replies, "Maybe…."

My mother beams, declaring, "I think that's a wonderful idea! I'm betting that's what you'll end up doing—because, believe it or not, Sora grows on you!"

I snort at this, dryly questioning, "I had to grow on you?"

She laughs, answering, "No! Of course not, honey! I just meant that Riku will probably end up like all of your other friends who love you."

Riku catches my eye… and I quickly look away, mumbling, "Yeah, Mom. I'm sure he will."

I told my mother that I have a lot of friends at school—but that we never have time to hang out together—except during school hours. Apparently, she believes me—I guess I am quite convincing when I act cheerful and active.

In an effort to keep conversation flowing, my mother asks, "What were you two doing up on the computer?"

Riku responds, "Sora was showing me something that he wrote."

My mother beams, obviously taking this as a sign that he and I are getting along very well. "That's wonderful! I'm glad that Sora wants to share his writing with you! Lord knows he's very creative and intelligent! He used to show his stories to Kairi… but after that day…." She turns to me, asking, "What exactly happened?"

I frown, grumbling, "She's just not a fan of fantasy. I was trying to show her one of my stories… and she snapped at me that she didn't want to read it… so I told her that if she thought my stories were so boring… that she should just never read them again… and then I kicked her out of my room… and she stormed off."

Shaking her head, my mother murmurs, "Yes, well… you took it pretty badly. I'm just glad you that you've found someone with whom you can share your interests!"

I smile while staring down at my food. "Me, too."

For the rest of dinner, we are all quiet—it is a peaceful, comfortable quiet. After we finish eating, we all chip in to clear the table. My mother begins washing the dishes, calling over the rush of the faucet, "Would you like me to drive you home, Riku?"

I offer, "I can take him!" Turning to him, I ask, "Do you want to hang around for a bit more… or do you want to go now?"

He states, "I should probably go now."

"Okay."

Putting my hand on my mother's shoulder, I kiss her cheek, thanking her for dinner, complimenting her cooking by saying, "It was delicious."

Riku echoes, "Yes, it was. Thank you."

"You're welcome. It was a pleasure having you. Come back anytime!"

After this, we head off to gather our belongings and get in the car, buckling our seatbelts. As soon as I am out of the garage, I turn on my headlights then back out the rest of the way, quickly pulling out of the cul-de-sac.

We sit in the quiet again. I ask, "So… what'd you think?"

"_What'd I think about what?" _

"Everything…. My house… my room… my story… my family…."

"_Your house is nice. Your room is comfortable and has a nice feeling to it. Your story was interesting—and very well-written. And your family seemed very nice." _

I laughingly say, "That about sums it up, doesn't it?"

"_Yeah…. I really liked… I really liked being there. Thank you for inviting me." _

"You're welcome. As my mom said, 'Come back anytime!'"

"_I think I will… if that's okay with you." _

I laugh. "Yeah! Definitely! You have to help me with my math homework tomorrow, remember?"

"_Right…." _

Riku directs me on where to go. It is a ten-minute drive to his house. As I park at the curb, he requests, "Would you mind coming in? My mom will want to meet you." I shrug, unbuckling, and removing the keys from the ignition before getting out of the car.

The two of us walk side by side up the walkway… to his front door. Hesitating for just a moment, Riku opens the door, calling, _"Tadaima! Sora wa boku to issho ni!" _

"_Ah! Okaeri nasai! Chotto matte kudasai! Kimi no tomodachi wo mitai!"_

Riku whispers to me, _"She wants us to wait—she wants to see you." _I nod, remaining in place.

A few seconds later, a smiling woman (who looks a great deal like Riku) appears. She looks at me, questioning with that smile in place, _"Sora desu ka?" _

Blinking a bit, I nod. Her smile turns into a grin. She slowly enunciates, "It's… nice… to meet… you."

I nod, smiling fondly at her attempt at English. "It's nice to meet you, too."

She utters, her accent very heavy, "It's so very nice of you… to have Riku… for dinner."

I smile broadly, nodding my head as I try not to laugh at her slight mistake—the omission of the key word 'over'. Riku snorts, rolling his eyes. His mother turns on him, very agitated—her eyebrows furrowing—concerned that she said something wrong—asking, _"Nani?" _

He mutters, _"Betsuni. Ii yo." _

She stares at him for a moment before turning back to me with a smile. "Thank you… so much… for… for being _nice _to Riku. He needs good friends! You be good friend, okay?"

I love this woman. I think that she is adorable. I grin at her, nodding enthusiastically. Riku rotates his body toward me, saying, "Tell your mom thanks again from me… and… I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, okay. See you tomorrow."

As I turn to the door, Riku's mother puts her hand on my shoulder, causing me to rotate around to face her. She slowly intones, "You… good boy. You… wondaaful. Like angel." She smiles… then leans forward, embracing me. I blink, looking over at Riku during this moment. He fidgets, appearing very self-conscious. His mother then pulls back, her hands on my shoulders, still smiling. "You… drive safely. Come here anytime you want." Her eyes sparkle with sincerity, her lips curved at the corners in an enthusiastic sort of way.

"I will. _Arigatou._"

Just before I leave, I call, "Good night!"

They both echo it back at me. I even hear Riku's mother cry after the door is closed, _**"Itterashai! Oyasumi nasai!" **_

Standing on the doorstep, I hear Riku scold, _**"Okaa-san! Yamete yo! Hazukashii!" **_I cannot hear what she quietly says back… but I realize that I wouldn't understand it anyway… so I take this opportunity to head back to my car… and drive on home.

* * *

_As soon as I open my eyes and realize that I am in the dream world, I scramble out of bed, rushing over to the mirror. _

_**"Sora?" **_

_I shove my hands through eagerly, demanding, "Yeah! Pull me through!" _

_As soon as I am in, I embrace… __**Riku**__… squeezing him as hard as I can as I breathe, "You'll never believe the day I've had!" Pulling back, I grin at him, shaking my head as I utter, "I can't even believe it…." _

_He furrows his brows, questioning, "What is it?" _

_I drag him over to the bed by the arm, where we assume our customary position. He watches me intently, waiting for me to spill the big news. _

_I excitedly gush, "Riku! It's Riku! …Your name… is Riku Shimizu. You're seventeen—you'll be eighteen in late November—I didn't ask when, exactly. I'm sure I'll find out later. But… you're __**real**__! You're really __**real**__! Not only that… but… you and I are FRIENDS now!" I then proceed to hurriedly tell him the events of the day. _

_He gapes at me, in awe. Sounding astonished, he nearly whispers, "You… don't even know me… and yet… you… befriend me… you invite me to have lunch with you… you invite me into your home… to stay for dinner… you show me something that is immensely private—a piece of your heart—and… you… you don't even know me." Tears fill his eyes as he begs the question of: "Who are you?" With glassy eyes, he further inquires, "What type of person just opens their heart without a second thought to a complete stranger?" The tears slip from his eyes… but he makes no move to wipe them away. _

_I grin, trying to joke, "I guess my mama raised me right!" _

_He doesn't even laugh—that is how moved… how taken aback… he is. He simply stares at me, those trails on his cheeks glistening in the soft light. And then… he softly wraps his arms around me, laying his head on my shoulder… remaining silent as warm tears seep onto my shoulder, staining my t-shirt. The only thing I can do is return the embrace… and be there for him. _

_My hand twitches… and I regretfully pull away, telling him that I will see him tomorrow. He nods, wiping at his cheeks. He walks with me to the mirror, grasping my hand as I step through. The last thing I see is him smiling at me as he squeezes my hand… and then I am back on my side of the mirror… heading back to my bed, filled with the knowledge that I have done something phenomenal—that I have touched someone's heart… and possibly rescued them from the darkness therein._

* * *

**A/N: Thus ends chapter two. I must admit that I love Riku's mother. I think that she's adorable. Lol. Oh! I feel I must also confess that I want to give this Riku that I have created a hug because he is so sad and lonely. (I'm sure I'm not the only one! Lol.)**

**The following is the translation of some of the less obvious Japanese terms used in this chapter. **

**Glossary of Japanese terms:**

**_Okaa-san: _Mother/ Mom  
**

**_ban gohan: _dinner**

**_Ii desu ka?: _It is okay/ all right?**

**_Tadaima!: _I'm home!  
**

**_Sora wa boku to issho ni!: _Sora is with me!**

**_Okaeri nasai!: _Welcome home!  
**

**_Chotto matte kudasai!: _Please wait a moment!  
**

**_Kimi no tomodachi wo mitai!: _I want to see your friend!**

**_Nani?: _What?**

**_Bestuni: _Nothing**

**_Ii yo: _It's fine. **

_**Itterashai!: **_**Take care! (said whenever someone leaves)  
**

_**Oyasumi nasai!: **_**Good night!**

_**Yamete yo!: **_**Stop it!  
**

_**Hazukashii!**_**: It's embarrassing!**

**Please note: The way that Riku and his mother speak to each other is pretty informal (most of the time). **

**That should do it... **

**Anyway… hope you enjoyed it. **

**Please review. **

**Kagome-chan **


	3. The Light in the Darkness

Chapter Three: The Light in the Darkness

On Friday, I manage to convince Riku to come to Anime Club with me. He even seems to enjoy it.

On Saturday, I invite him to come over and hang out with me—doing whatever pops into our heads.

Soon… we develop a pattern: I start taking him to school every morning. We always sit next to each other at lunch; most of the time, we share food. He comes to my house after school to do his homework/ help me with mine. We hang out for a little; sometimes, he stays for dinner; sometimes, he goes home. He always comes with me to Anime Club on Fridays… and we spend a lot of time during the weekend at each other's houses.

After having invited him to my place on Saturday, he hesitantly invites me to his the following Saturday. I park out on the curb, locking up before I approach his door. I debate whether to knock or ring the doorbell—I opt for ringing the doorbell. A minute later, the door opens, revealing Riku. He steps back, allowing me to enter. He does not need to instruct me to take off my shoes—because we both do the same thing at our house. So after leaving my shoes in the foyer, by the door, I follow Riku on a tour of his house… which ends in his room. Every room in the house has hardwood floors—including his room.

There is a bed, a nightstand by the bed with a lamp and a digital alarm clock on it, a computer desk with a lamp and the respective computer parts on it—not cluttered with junk like mine rather is, another nightstand with a small TV on it, and a dresser. It is a very organized, neat room. I nod my head, commenting, "It's nice."

All day… Riku seems anxious about whether I am comfortable—whether I like his room or house. It takes him awhile… but he finally relaxes, realizing that I do, indeed, like his house. He also takes note of the fact that I _love _his mother. He often acts as a mediator between the two of us, offering helpful translations so that we may communicate better.

I find myself picking up basic Japanese phrases that I use around Aiko (the first name of Riku's mother) who, apparently, _adores _me, wanting to always hug me… and kiss me… and praise me for being a 'wondaaful boy'—or, as I have learned in Japanese, _'reinyou douji' ('wonderful boy' 'miraculous child')_. Sometimes, she simply says, _"Iiko," _and strokes my hair for an instant, smiling as she does so.

I asked Riku what this means—he says, "It means, 'Good boy'—but it can also mean 'Good girl'—it's rather unisex."

I love Riku's mother; she has most definitely endeared herself to me. She is one of my favorite people. It doesn't hurt that she treats me like gold, constantly raining affection and praise upon me. Sometimes… the way she looks at me… I feel as if she believes that I am Riku's savior. I don't know how I feel about this; it rather overwhelms me to think of myself in this light.

Before I know it… a whole month passes by. It is as we are entering my room that Riku takes me by the hand… and leads me to sit down on the bed, releasing me once we are there; he sits down next to me, and we each bring one leg up, bending our knee so that we will be comfortable. My heart pounds because I can tell that Riku is solemn about something; I am incredibly nervous. Riku looks directly into my eyes as he utters, "Sora… there's something I need to tell you. Something that I think… you deserve to know about me."

My heart pounds rather harshly. I am incredibly worried by his words, but I reply, "Okay. …What is it?"

"A week before we met… I was admitted to the hospital. I was admitted to the hospital after… after…" he hesitates before saying in a rush, "…after having attempted suicide."

I gape, staring at him in surprise, not having expected… that. "…Wow. …How come you were back at school so soon after, then?"

Riku's reply starts off slow… but then it picks up speed—as if he is in a rush to get all of this off his chest. "Because… I was put on anti-depressants… and I made my mother believe that I was fine again… just so she would stop hassling me. In reality… I was still… in a lot of pain. The day we met… was my first day back at school. I couldn't even handle it. I made it halfway through second period before I asked my teacher if I could go to the office; they wrote me a note… but I didn't go to the office—I wanted to be alone—I didn't want to talk. So… I went to the bathroom.

"I sat there, thinking about my life… about how much it sucked… and how much pain I was feeling. But then… you came along. You… and your quirky behavior… and your shirt with its backward claim of: 'You Are Beautiful!'… and your talk of horizons… and hope… and light… and your crazy stories about flawless, mystical beings. You brought me light in my darkness, and I just wanted to let you know that… and… thank you… for it. So… thank you."

I am stunned. I simply say, "You're welcome." Something presses on my heart and mind; I wonder, "If you don't mind me asking… what happened that made you want to… kill yourself?" I could hardly even say the last two words.

He sighs. "My best friend… or… someone that I thought was my best friend. We became friends a few months ago—the beginning of July. The only thing was: Nobody really… noticed me. My friend rather… outshined me. I was always… in the background. But… I didn't resent it, because… I knew that my friend was meant to shine—shine like the bright star that they are.

"Anyway, even though I was left out a lot, and nobody really paid much attention to me, I… _loved _my best friend. They were something special to me. I'll never forget how we met: I was just standing on the beach, watching the tide… when this blitzball came flying toward me from somewhere out at sea. I ducked, and they called out to me, 'Hey! Sorry about that!' And then, they came ashore.

"As I covered my eyes to shield them from the sun, I was able to take in their appearance. Dripping wet and clad only in a swimsuit… they were something beautiful. Their smile… was something beautiful. It made my breath catch in my throat. And then the most amazing thing happened: They asked me if I wanted to throw some passes with them—one-on-one. So I did… and we started talking… and, to my surprise, we became pretty good friends. Even though everyone else tended to overlook me… my friend would always notice me—always make time for me."

He sighs again; I gently urge, "Go on…."

Licking his lips, he continues, "About a month in… I knew I had it bad. They were all that I could think about. I would live for the moments when our skin would touch—however brief. My heart would melt at the sight of their smile. I would…" he swallows, his cheeks reddening a little, "imagine us… kissing… imagine them holding me… imagine the two of us together in our swimsuits… on that beach… kissing… holding each other… just… being in love together. Somehow, I managed to last a whole other month… before deciding that I should at least _try _to confess my feelings."

Somehow, I just _know _that he is talking about _Tidus_. This makes me feel strange inside… uncomfortable… but not overly so. I am not sure whether I feel uncomfortable about Riku having loved Tidus… or the fact that Riku is very discreetly… coming out to me.

Riku looks down, obviously struggling with his emotions. I put my hand on his shoulder, rubbing it soothingly, waiting for him to collect himself. I still my motions, leaving my hand there, when, without looking at me, he utters, "So I did. I confessed everything—how I felt about them… what they made me feel… how I couldn't stop thinking about them."

He pauses, bowing his head lower. I can just tell that he is tearing up… and trying not to show it. I rub his shoulder again, hoping to sooth him. He finally states, "They freaked out on me. They violently rejected me—said that they could never feel the same way about me… and that we shouldn't even be friends anymore—because it would be too weird. I mean… they _tried _to be nice… in the way that they said it… but… it was still a rejection. And it hurt. It hurt so much… that I didn't know what to do… so I… went into my mom's medicine cabinet… and purposely overdosed."

I notice a tear slip from his eye—it drops onto his thigh, producing a damp spot on his pants. My heart aches at the sight; and I wrap my arms around him, pulling him into an embrace. He gratefully clings to me, softly crying into my shoulder. His voice is tearful as he whispers, _"I just… wanted to thank you, Sora. You've… changed my life for the better… and I just want to thank you for it." _

Holding him closer, I murmur, "You're welcome," and rub his back. His arms tighten their grip, and he buries his face in the crook of my neck, desperate for contact. It is so tragic that my heart can't take it; I tear up… and my tears slide down my cheeks.

After awhile, I feel Riku calm… but we remain as we are, feeling… safe. Neither of us wants to pull apart because we feel _safe_… and we feel… close. So we don't; we allow ourselves to stay just as we are for a long moment… many minutes… until we feel okay enough to withdraw. Riku wipes at his cheeks; and I wipe at mine. He gives a watery laugh, cursing almost jokingly, "Shit! I made you cry!"

I shrug, pursing my lips a little wryly before uttering, "I'm a sap. What can I say?"

He smiles at me… and then hesitantly puts his hand on my knee. I smile back, putting my hand on his and squeezing it. And then, we both sigh—at the exact same time—which, of course, makes us laugh—at the coincidence of it. I suggest, "Why don't we go downstairs and see if dinner's ready yet?"

"Okay."

Dinner is not even close to being ready yet—there is still an hour left to go. I suggest that we go back to my room, and Riku willingly follows behind me. I walk over to the mirror, pausing to lean in and examine it. Riku appears behind me, asking, "What is it?"

Not answering him, I put the hand to the glass, pressing my palm flat against it. Nothing happens. I frown in disappointment. Turning to Riku, I grin, shrugging as I declare, "Nope. Still nothing. I guess I won't be able to explore the Looking-glass House today!"

Riku smiles at me fondly, assuring, "You'll see it someday."

We both laugh at how silly we are being… then turn to regard the mirror. Becoming pensive, I question, "What do you think it's like?"

Riku is used to my endless questions about many different subjects; and I like to think that I have taught him how to use his imagination. I am quite pleased when he appears to use it by responding to my question with an actual answer.

"I think… everything is reversed. I think everything in that room is exactly the same—except… reversed… and that… maybe… the door leads to a completely different place—completely different from your actual house."

I grin, stating, "You sound just like Alice." I quickly assure him, "That's a good thing! …It's the thing that I was thinking about, actually." He smiles at me with just his lips, looking content.

To kill time, we head over to the computer to watch music videos online. Neither of us feels like dealing with the hassle of bringing the extra chair up… so we lazily both sit in the chair—or rather… Riku sits in the chair… and I, being the lighter one of the two of us, sit on his lap. Very subtly, he puts his hands on my hips… and his chin on my shoulder, watching the videos with me… just like this. I do nothing to protest… because it doesn't feel as weird as I thought it might. It rather distracts me, though; it sets my mind to whirring with thoughts as I pretend to watch the videos, moving the mouse when it is time to change to a different one.

_Riku didn't say it… but… it's pretty obvious that his best friend was Tidus… and from the way they acted around each other… and the way he acts whenever Kairi and Selphie mention Tidus… it just confirms his story. But… that would make him gay… and… by telling me all of this… he is covertly confessing to me that he is gay. Does he… like me…? …As more than a friend? _

I swallow at this thought. Really… all of the signs are there. Guy friends don't take each other's hands—guy friends don't even _touch _each other's hands. Guy friends hug… but not so… intimately. Guy friends don't put their hands on each other so intimately. Guy friends… don't sit like this.

I wonder if Riku can feel the way my heart now races. I start trembling. The idea that Riku might _like _me… like that… that he might imagine the two of us… as he mentioned with Tidus… gives me funny little tingles. It makes my body cold… but my face warm.

Riku notices my trembling… my shudders. Tilting his head slightly toward my neck, he asks, _"You okay?" _

Swallowing, I nod, softly replying, "I'm just cold."

Very softly… Riku brings his arms to surround me, providing warmth and a sense of affection… a sense of security. His breath tickles my neck as he questions, _"Better?" _

I swallow yet again… and nod _yet again_. I feel chilled and warm at the same time. I feel anxious and comforted simultaneously.

The truth of the matter is: I have no idea how I feel about Riku. I care for him… but I have no idea how _much _I care for him.

I know—given his history—that he will not say anything; he will not come forward; he will not tell me how he feels; he will not try to kiss me—he will remain under the guise of "best friend"… while really doing things that even the best of friends might not do. And I… I will quietly let him do so while contemplating the depths of my emotions.

Time flies when you are distracted—my mother is calling us down to help set the table. Dinner is ready.

* * *

After dinner, I offer to take Riku home. As usual, I pop in to say hello to Aiko, greeting her with, _"Aiko-san, konbanwa!" Good evening, Aiko-san. _

She beams, enthusiastically replying, _"Sora-chan, konbanwa!" _She rushes forward, hugging me… then kissing my forehead before withdrawing, leaving her right hand on my shoulder. She asks, "You want… _ke-ki_? I baked!"

I question, "Cake?" Glancing at Riku, who shrugs, I ask, "What kind?"

"_Chokore-to desu!" _

"Chocolate?"

"_Hai! Sou desu!" _

I smile at her, nodding. She grins, rushing off, calling, "It's in kitchen! Come! I cut you slice!"

Riku and I walk together to the room. Aiko puts a plate with a slice of chocolate cake—with chocolate mousse in the center—and even light chocolate frosting—on the little table in there, saying, _"Douzo," _while gesturing at the chair. This is one of the words that I have learned—in most cases, it pretty much means, 'Go ahead' or 'Please' in an offering kind of way.

She hands me a fork as I sit; I nod my head, murmuring, _"Arigatou." _

She beams, waving her hands around a bit as she exclaims, _"Iie, iie!" No, no! _(Basically saying that it was no trouble at all.)

Standing at the fridge, she asks without looking at me, _"Miruku?" _

It sounds like milk… and, glancing at Riku (who mouths, 'milk'), I reply, "Yes, please!"

Riku reminds me (at a whisper) to say the customary, _"Itadakimasu," _for the sake of his mother (before I eat); I echo it, and Aiko beams from her position by the counter, where she is pouring a glass of milk for me. It is apparently some way of politely receiving/ stating that you will gratefully partake in the food offered to you. At least… that's what Riku has told me.

Aiko smilingly sets a glass of the frothy white stuff by my plate, watching me as I take another bite of cake… then wash it down with the milk. The cake is delicious. The woman who baked it asks, leaning forward, showing her teeth now as she smiles, the tip of her tongue pressing against her front row of teeth, "You like?"

Thinking back on the phrase that Riku taught me to say (in response to eating anything his mother makes), I respond, _"Hai. Oishii desu. Arigatou gozaimashita." Yes. It's delicious. Thank you very much. _

She hugs my head, ruffling my hair as she looks over at Riku, gushing, _"Ri-chan! Sora-chan wa kawaii, ne?" _

He smirks, replying, _"Hai. Sugoku kawaii." _The word they both said sounds familiar—I have heard it many times in anime before—but I cannot remember what it means.

I glance between the two of them, asking, "Ka-what?"

The woman grins at me, stroking my hair as she insists, "You eat cake! You enjoy! I'll bake mo' fo' you next time you come!"

I can't help it—I laugh at how adorable she is. "Yes, Aiko-san! I will!"

She ruffles my hair one more time, planting a kiss to my cheek before walking over to the sink to do dishes. Riku remains standing beside her, leaning back against the counter as he watches me eat my slice of cake and wash it down with the glass of milk. He seems to be lost in thought. I decide not to press him… and just work on finishing my dessert so that I can get home and go to bed. I am quite tired, after all.

Right as I swallow the last of my milk, Riku turns to his mother, murmuring something very softly in Japanese. Whatever he said… it has the power to cause Aiko to drop the dish she was scrubbing into the sink—but without breaking it—in favor of staring at Riku. She softly repeats something back at him, her brows furrowing as she questions what he said. And then… she turns to look at me.

I blink, feeling a little wary because of the way that she is just… _staring_. Without warning, she rushes over to me, wrapping her arms around me, my head pressing against her maternal chest. I feel her kiss the top of my head—right at my hairline. Her cheek then presses my spiky locks down as she rests it on top of my head, holding me close. Somehow… I just get the feeling that Riku told her that he finally told me what had happened to him. This is why I place my hands on Aiko's forearms, gently caressing her smooth skin. She whispers into my hair, _"You truri aa wondaaful, Sora-chan. You know dat? __**Reinyou douji**__…. God buresu you." _I receive another kiss to my hairline… and then she pulls away. I stare after her as she hurriedly turns away from me; I notice that her hands wipe at her cheeks… meaning… she started crying.

I feel rather uneasy now. I stand, politely stating, "Thank you for the cake. I think I'll be going now."

Normally, Aiko would walk with us to the foyer… hug me while swaying from side to side… laughing… smiling… before wishing me a safe drive and a good night. Right now, though, she waves her left hand in a rather dismissive gesture, seemingly unable to speak. Riku offers, "C'mon…. I'll walk you to the door." His hand comes to rest on my upper back as we quietly leave his mother to deal with her emotions.

Standing in the foyer, I ask, "Will she be all right?"

He nonchalantly answers, "She'll be fine. You should have seen her at the hospital… and afterward. The only time she really started lightening up… was after I brought you to meet her. She's a good mother… but… her affection can be a bit… suffocating… at times."

I nod in understanding—I can see that of her.

We stand around for a moment in the quiet. Without warning, Riku pulls me into a warm hug, squeezing me as he murmurs, _"Thank you… for everything. …I'll see you tomorrow." _

I nod against his shoulder, mumbling, "See you tomorrow." He releases me. I offer one last casual wave before vacating the premises.

I decide to take a shower tonight—even though I normally prefer morning showers. I need the heat and steam to relax my body because today's events have left me tense.

I have difficulty falling asleep because my mind is so active. It feels as if forever passes… but I know that it is really _hours. _When I do fall asleep, it is with a heavy heart.

* * *

_I need… __**Riku. **__**This**__ Riku. Only this Riku has the power to help me… because… he and I are somehow… different… than our counterparts in reality. This Riku will hold me and comfort me without fear; this Riku will tell me why things are the way that they are; and he will take on all of my burdens; he will make me feel lighter… and whole… and special… and loved. In the world of dreams… on the other side of the looking-glass… our roles are reversed; he is the one to comfort—not the one who is comforted. _

_Somehow… I am nervous. I hesitate as I approach the mirror. I take a big breath (which I hold as I push my hands through the mirror), which I only release when I feel __**Riku's **__hands grasp mine, gently tugging me through. Despite the fact that his pace was slow and his grip was gentle… I stumble. I stumble into him… and his hands come to rest on my shoulders… and there I stay, my face pressed into his chest. _

"_**Sora? …You're quiet. What's wrong? What happened?" **_

_I randomly embrace him, mindlessly nuzzling his chest. I stare off into space as I utter, "You tried to kill yourself a week before I 'met' you—in the real world. A week before I met you in the real world… was the night that I first talked to you through the mirror. You were… trapped in darkness… the darkness in your mind… the pain in your heart. You told me… out there… that… that I brought you light in the darkness… and you thanked me." I start crying; all of this is too much on my heart. Riku hastens to hold me against him, putting his hand on the back of my head as I sob into his chest, grasping desperately at the fabric at the front of his shirt. _

_It is a reflection of earlier… except… Riku is holding me… and he doesn't cry this time. __**Riku **__is comforting __**me. **_

_When I feel better, I pull back. Before I can even move my hands to touch my own face… Riku wipes his thumbs over my cheeks, wiping away my tears; his thumbs soften… caressing my skin; his palms gently cradle my jaw. My heart starts to pound as I stare into his magical eyes. He leans forward, uttering, "Even if you don't remember this… you are always and forever… the light in my darkness. …I love you, Sora." _

_My eyes widen as he closes the small distance between our mouths… kissing me full on the lips. I stand, frozen in place, my eyes wide and staring beyond my surroundings as he takes his time, as he luxuriates in kissing me, rubbing his lips against mine… brushing them… then crushing his mouth against my lips… then back to rubbing… and brushing. My heart feels as if it might burst. Just as I think it might… he withdraws, resting his forehead against mine… caressing my cheeks with his thumbs. I am left staring at the very near features of the person who just kissed me, my mouth hanging open, my lips tingling and aching. _

_My heart pounds, thudding a wild rhythm against my ribcage. I swallow, running my tongue over my lips. Riku's right hand shifts… his petal-soft fingertips glide along my lips, tenderly caressing them. He murmurs, "I love you, Sora. I told you once before that you were the only reason I exist… and… I believe that—more than ever. I think… I was rescued… so that I would have the chance to meet you. I think that I was being tested—that I was being made stronger… so that I'd be worthy of you… worthy of your love." _

_This breaks my heart. Tears swim in my eyes… then streak down my cheeks. Riku hastens to wipe at my cheeks, kissing them as he implores, "Oh, Sora! Don't __**cry**__! Please don't cry! I love you!" _

_My hand twitches… and I have never been more grateful for it than I am at this moment. I choke out, "I have to go! I'm waking up!" _

_Riku reluctantly releases me, walking me to the mirror, holding my hand as I step through. As I already have one leg through, he questions, "You're coming back tomorrow night, aren't you?" He frowns worriedly, his precious, beautiful eyes filled with anxiety. The hand holding mine clutches fearfully, nearly crushing my fingers._

_I offer a small smile with my lips, murmuring, "Of course. I'll never abandon you to the darkness." _

_He smiles so joyously at this that I can hardly take it—I hurry back into my room, rushing back over to my bed. Burying my face in my pillow, I will myself to wake up, my heart racing all the while._

* * *

I sit up with a start, gasping for air… and sobbing. My heart aches as it pumps blood through my body. I put my left hand to my chest, my fingers fisting in my shirt. Tears course down my cheeks… and I sob helplessly, doubling over.

I have no idea why I am crying… and this is the most upsetting thing of all….

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was a short one… but that's okay—because this **_**is **_**a novella, after all. **

**: P**

**As far as translations go... I pretty much put everything in there. Oh! Aiko and Riku were calling Sora cute/ adorable behind his back. lol. **

**Please review! **

**Kagome-chan **


	4. Subconsciously

Chapter Four: Subconsciously

I lie in bed… staring at the time on the digital alarm clock on my nightstand. The minutes tick by… melting into hours… and still… I do not sleep. I close my eyes; but this does nothing. Something in me will not rest; it will not allow me to rest. It is this same thing that made me wake up crying and in pain. I cannot sleep. Something in my dreams is haunting me.

Deciding to do something productive with my insomnia, I begin typing a short story. My mind is fatigued… and something bizarre occurs because of this. My story… is something that confounds me. I read over it… hardly processing what I have written… and then—before I can even take the time to think about what I am doing—I attach the file to an e-mail, sending the e-mail to Riku with the simple message of:

_Insomnia produces madness… or fluffy romance… whichever. Enjoy._

* * *

_Best Friends_

Sky had always been a tomboy; this was just her nature. Secretly, she believed that she was supposed to have been born a boy… but God had blinked in the instant when her sex was to be determined… and then it was irreversible.

Ever since she was little, Sky adored playing outdoors—she especially enjoyed being "one of the boys". She really had no female friends because they were all busy indoors, playing with dolls and whatnot. On the contrary, she was _quite _popular with the boys, who thought she was awesome and lots of fun. One boy in particular took a fond liking to her—and immediately swooped in to mark his territory as "best" friend.

Riley knew from the instant he saw Sky that she was something special. Those blue eyes of hers were like the night sky, and, in his opinion, shone brighter than all of the stars in that sky. Her light brown hair—cut short in a boyish style—looked as soft as down; and the wind just loved to tussle it. Her smile was something special—Riley firmly believed that her smile had the power to make the sky light up. Even as a child… he believed all of this. And because he believed all of this… he _knew _that none of the other boys deserved to be her best friend. None of the other boys knew how special she was—they just thought that Sky made an "awesome" playmate. This was why he knew that he had to claim her—claim her as his. Only _he _deserved to be her best friend… because only _he _knew just how special she was.

So it was on the third day when Sky came out to play that he grabbed her hand, pulling her away from the street before all of the others gathered. She laughingly asked, _"Where are we going, Riley?" _to which Riley replied, _"Somewhere secret—somewhere that the others don't know about—somewhere __**special**__." _

Riley had said the magic word; for Sky had a penchant for all things _special_—and she loved secrets. And so… even though she barely even knew the boy holding her hand… she allowed him to tug her along to this secret place of his.

The Secret Place (as they would soon begin to call it) was a place of magic (of this Sky was sure). Sure, in reality, it was just a forest hidden beyond the park… but that didn't stop Sky's wild imagination from soaring. As the two came to a stop before the entry of the forest, Sky grinned, turning toward Riley as she uttered, "It's magical. I can see why the others don't know about it—they wouldn't appreciate it."

Riley smirked at this; he had been hoping that Sky would feel this way. Now… he could keep her as his—they could come here together… just the two of them.

Taking a hold of his friend's hand, Riley began to step into the woods, guiding Sky to the small cave he had discovered. As they stood in the center of the dirt floor there, hand in hand, staring up at the rocky ceiling, sunlight streaming in through a hole in one part, the brunette murmured, _"This is where all the magic is…." _Riley regarded her… and she grinned at him, her eyes sparkling.

Squeezing that soft hand in his, Riley whispered, _"This will be our place—no one else can come here." _

The girl smiled gently at him, those magical blue eyes twinkling as she whispered back, _"Okay," _and squeezed his hand.

The Secret Place served as a sort of sanctuary for the two over the years. No matter what the problem… no matter what their mood… the two would always find peace there. There was a rule—instated in their youth: They must enter the Secret Place hand in hand… and they must always stand in the very center for just a moment to appreciate the beauty of their sanctuary.

By the time Sky was fourteen—and he fifteen—Riley knew that he was _in love _with his best friend. From the instant he saw her… she had stolen his heart… but, now… things were different. He wanted to hold her for hours at a time; he wanted to _kiss _her; he wanted to touch her all over. This was not different from when he was a child; the difference lay in the fact that he realized _why _he wanted to do all of this… and the fact that some of his thoughts were of a more mature nature. He wanted to love Sky forever and ever… and he wanted _her _to love _him _just as much as he loved her.

It was mid-July… and they were walking the familiar path to that cave… their Secret Place. Riley took hold of Sky's hand prematurely… but Sky didn't mind; she loved the feel of his hand holding hers; she thought that his hand was something perfect—made to fit in hers.

They took their moment to appreciate their surroundings. Normally, this would be when they would drop their hands and walk around—or sit; today was different, though, because Riley did not release her hand. Instead… he grabbed her other hand, his thumbs caressing the backs of these delicate appendages. Staring into her eyes, he intoned, "Sky, you've been my best friend since forever… but something in my heart has changed. I still think of you as my best friend… but... I love you. I do. I love you."

Sky blinked, thoughtfully taking in this information, unsmiling. Riley's heart pounded harshly in his chest. He had taken the chance… and now was the moment of truth.

Glancing down at their joined hands, Sky contemplated Riley's words. He loved her. This filled her with warmth inside; and she could not suppress a smile. Riley loved her. This was the most wonderful news she could have ever heard… because… she had grown to love him.

Smiling gently at him, squeezing his hands, Sky murmured, "I love you, too, Ri. I always have."

Riley grinned in relief and then wasted no time in embracing Sky. Pushing past his nerves, he allowed his right hand to move toward her face—allowed his fingertips to brush along that beautiful, smooth face. And then… he kissed her. He kissed her… and even though it was their first kiss—a first time for both of them, even—he knew that this felt right. He kissed her… and she kissed him. They both knew that this was magic.

From that moment on, the two were inseparable. Everywhere they went, they held hands. There were always smiles; and laughter was plentiful. For the rest of their lives, they never stopped going to their Secret Place… and for the rest of their lives… they never stopped loving one another.

* * *

I go back to lying down on my bed, staring as the time ticks on by. I fall into a sort of stupor. Right around seven o'clock, I seem to doze on and off—never quite falling asleep. Around ten, my mother pops into the room, informing me that breakfast is ready. I drag myself downstairs in order to eat, taking about half an hour to do so.

Back upstairs, I log back into my account, bringing up the Internet browser that I minimized. Refreshing my inbox, I find that I have an e-mail from Riku.

_Heh. I liked that. It was very sweet. …You wrote this at 3 AM? I know you mentioned insomnia… but why couldn't you sleep? _

My reply:

_I don't know. I just… couldn't fall asleep. I just ate breakfast, though… so I am now "up". Want to hang out? I don't feel much like staying at my place—if we do hang out, we should do it at your place. _

Twenty minutes later, I get a response.

_Sure. Come on by whenever you feel like it. I promise that I'm decent. _

_; P _

I laugh at this, blinking tiredly. I now log out of my computer in favor of getting dressed and leaving for Riku's.

* * *

Aiko is the one to answer the door. She smiles, greeting, _"Sora-chan, konnichiwa." _

_"Aiko-san, konnichiwa." _

She steps back, murmuring, _"Douzo." _Nodding my thanks to her, I enter. She asks, "You hungry?"

Since Aiko often asks me this, Riku taught me how to decline whatever her offer—food, drink, anything she could offer, really.

_"Iie. Kekkou desu." _

She smiles, nodding her head as she walks off a bit, calling, _"Riku-chan! Sora-chan ga kita!" _I have learned this one as well—it literally means, _'Sora has come!' _but is used more as _'Sora's here!' _

He calls down from wherever he is upstairs, _"Okay!" _

Aiko questions, still smiling—always smiling, it seems, "You thirsty?"

Thinking on this, I reply, "A little."

She nods, bustling off to the kitchen. I follow her. She looks over her shoulder, wondering, "What you want?" She opens the fridge, gesturing at the different beverages in there.

I politely say, "I'll just have some water, if you don't mind."

She nods, moving over to the cupboard to get a glass. I grab the pitcher of ice water I see in there; she takes it from me in order to pour for me. I do her the favor of putting the pitcher back in its respective spot. She hands me the glass, saying, _"Douzo." _

_"Arigatou gozaimashita." _

I then gulp down most of the glass as she fluffs a lock of my hair, admonishing, "You look so _tired_. You should sleep mo'. It's Sunday—you should sleep late." Finishing off my water, I hold onto the glass. Aiko grabs it from me, setting it in the sink as she turns to empty the dishwasher, singing softly in Japanese as she does so.

Riku's voice carries in from somewhere nearby as he calls, _"Okaa-san? Sora?" _

I grin at the Japanese pronunciation of my name. Only in this house does he use it… but I most definitely adore it. I call, "In the kitchen!"

He comes in, smiling rather contentedly… at least… until he sees me. He frowns in concern, remarking, "You look really tired." He appears quite worried.

I shrug, muttering, "I didn't really get much sleep. I told you that I was suffering from insomnia last night."

Aiko admonishes, comical in her pressing concern and her broken English, "I told you—it's Sunday! You should sleep late—sleep mo'! It's good for you health!"

Riku corrects, "It's 'your health,' _Okaa-san_—'your'—not 'you'."

She nods, mumbling, "Okay, yes! Yo' health, then!" Riku smirks, shaking his head at his mother's rather dismal English. Turning her head in my direction while washing dishes, Aiko insists, "You should take nap, Sora-chan! Go, go! Sleep mo'! You look so _tired_."

I grin at her—her adorable, considerate behavior—and nod just to appease her. I even use one of the simple words that Riku taught me: _"Hai!" _

She beams at this, praising, "Good boy! Have good sleep!" She turns to Riku, scolding him about… something… in fast-flowing Japanese. Riku promptly says something—just as fast—in his defense before putting his arm around my shoulders… and leading me away.

I ask, "What did she say?"

He snorts. "She was saying that I shouldn't have invited you over so early. I told her that you were the one that brought up the idea of hanging out—and that you chose your own time to come over."

"That is true."

Becoming considerate, he questions, his arm remaining around my shoulders, "So… do you want to take a nap?"

"Nah. I mean… I'm tired… but I don't know if I can sleep."

"I know what you mean. So… what do you want to do? We could watch a movie."

I shrug underneath the weight of his arm, agreeing, "Sure."

We head upstairs to the room where he keeps all of his entertainment systems. Once the DVD is playing, we settle onto the couch, sitting next to each other. Pretty soon, the dim lighting in the room has an effect on me; I begin to doze, slipping in and out. My head falls on Riku's shoulder… and I quickly lift it, breathing in heavily through my nostrils as I gasp in air. He whispers, _"You can sleep against me, if you want. I don't mind." _I place my cheek against his shoulder… but soon find that this is uncomfortable for my neck. Riku's hand rests against my head, causing my heart to race. He gently suggests, _"Why don't you lie down? If you want, I can move to a different seat." _

I tiredly protest, "You won't be able to see the movie."

_"If I move my chair closer, I could." _

Thinking, _'Oh, screw it!' _I move so that I lie on my right side, facing the couch, and put my head on Riku's lap. "Wake me up when the movie's over."

_"Okay." _

Riku's lap is warm… and his pants are of a soft material; this makes for a comfortable pillow—one that soothes me, lulling me to sleep.

* * *

_For some reason, when I open my eyes, I am in an unfamiliar room—someone's bedroom. Heading over to the dresser that I spy beside the large, feminine bed, I lift the framed photograph from it. It is a picture of Aiko… standing beside a man that I assume is Riku's father. They are both smiling and happy. Setting the picture back down, I gaze around the room for a moment before reaching the decision that I should leave. As I step out into the hall, I recognize my surroundings. If I head down the hall a bit and take the second door on the right… I will arrive at the entertainment room. With this destination in mind, I move my feet. _

_The door is open—which is odd considering that Riku closed it before we started watching the movie. This allows me to walk right in. I get as far as a foot past the doorway when I receive a shock to my system: I see __**me **__snuggled on Riku's lap. I am horribly confused. Here I am… standing right here… and there is another me… on the couch… my head in Riku's lap. _

_Riku is watching the movie… but he keeps glancing down at me. All of sudden, he moves his hand… and very subtly… very softly… that hand finds it way to my head. His fingers toy with my hair a bit before caressing it. When my body does not stir, Riku looks down unabashedly, murmuring, "You know… I know that you're asleep… but you're so out of it… you look unconscious. It's kind-of scary." He thoughtfully brushes his fingertips along my hairline, adding, "It's rather nice, though, too…." _

_He abruptly confesses, "I wish I could kiss you. I wish I could hold you and kiss you. I wish… I wish that we could be like Sky and Riley… inseparable… together forever…." His fingers wander as his mind goes on auto-pilot. Even in my current form, I tingle all over—starting at my lips—as those soft fingertips caress my mouth—first, the skin around it… then… the contours of my lips. Riku muses, "I bet your lips are sweet and soft—I bet they taste sweet." He sighs, muttering, "I wish I could kiss you… if only just once." _

_He purses his lips, still tracing the contours of my lips as he questions, "Would you hate me if you knew? You probably think that my best friend was some girl…. You probably think that I'm straight, don't you? …That's probably the only reason that you're still my friend." _

_I watch as __**my**__ head turns toward Riku's abdomen—as the rest of me shifts a bit. Now that my face is rather unavailable, Riku goes back to stroking my hair, running his fingers through it. I feel very strange… seeing myself… watching Riku pet me and talk to me. It is a vague discomfort… but I am not necessarily creeped out by it. _

_Now that I am less startled, I approach the couch. I attempt to say, 'Riku,' to catch his attention… but no sound comes—my lips move… but no sound comes. He cannot hear me… because we are in two different planes of existence. I attempt to put my hand on his shoulder… but a force prevents my hand from moving for this purpose. _

_Riku continues onward, still petting my hair, "You know… you're so much more of a best friend than Tidus ever was. Compared to you… I don't even know what was so attractive about him. I mean, sure… he was good-looking… and he was nice… but… not in the same way that you are. You… You sparkle! You exude happiness and hope… and creativity. _

"_That's something else that he didn't have: He was more of a follow-the-crowd type—one of the popular crowd. He never had half the imagination that you do. And, really… he never had quite the amount of compassion that you do. With him… it was always about him… and occasionally about me… but… he never cared like you do. He never really… __**committed **__himself to our friendship. He was always… afraid of getting too deep. You…" he chuckles, "You just dive right in!" _

_He heaves another sigh, mumbling, "I love that about you. You're never afraid to ask me if something's wrong. You're… You're always there for me… just like you said you would be. No one's ever been as kind to me as you have. I suppose that's why I can't help but love you. I hope you can forgive me. I know that I don't deserve you." His fingers grace my forehead… sweet and gentle. _

_Without warning, I feel a violent buzzing in my pocket—my body visibly jerks—my cell phone vibrating. I am yanked from the dream world._

* * *

I jerk rather violently, blindly fumbling for my cell phone, which I pull out of my pocket. Without even opening my eyes, I snuggle back into a comfortable position, mumbling, "Hello?"

_"Hey, sweetie! What are your plans for the afternoon?" _

_Mom…. _

"Umm… I don't know. Why?"

_"Well, your father and I were rather hoping that the two of us could go out to dinner… and you could maybe have dinner there at Riku's?" _

"Sure, Mom. Have a good afternoon… good evening. I'll see you… whenever."

_"Okay. Thank you, honey! Have a good night! Give our thanks to the Shimizus!" _

"Yeah, all right."

_"I love you." _

"Love you, too."

_"Bye." _

"Bye."

The phone drops from my hand onto the floor as I merely roll back onto my side, snuggling into my pillow. It takes me a moment to figure out… that my head is in Riku's lap. When I do, I hurriedly sit up, rubbing at my face while mumbling out an apology. Riku laughs, assuring, _"It's all right. I didn't mind. You looked so tired—I didn't have the heart to disturb you." _

Blinking a lot, his smiling face finally comes into focus. He asks, "So you're staying for dinner?" I nod my head as a yawn creeps up on me. I quickly cover my mouth while letting a big one wash over me. Riku chuckles at the sight.

Looking at the TV, I wonder, "Is the movie over?"

_"Yeah." _

I stare at him as I question, "So you've just been sitting here the whole time?"

He offers, "Well, no. It didn't end too long ago… and since then I've just been thinking—mainly about that story you sent me." He smirks, half-teasing, "It was very sweet."

"Heh. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Looking around, I wonder, "How long was I sleeping?"

Riku shrugs, offering, "Since the last portion of the movie?"

"What time is it?"

Glancing at his watch, he replies, "Going on quarter past one."

I nod senselessly, still drugged with sleep. Another yawn escapes me. I rub at the back of my head, trying to blink myself awake. Crinkling my nose, I state, "I feel weird." I stare down at my lap, not really focusing on the area that I am staring at.

Concern creeping into his voice, Riku wonders, _"What's wrong?" _

"I don't know…. I just feel… weird."

It is at this point that I notice that my cell phone is on the floor. Bending over while remaining seated on the couch, I scoop it up, slipping it back into my pocket. I irritably complain, "I'm still tired!"

I don't look at Riku as he offers, _"You could take a nap on my bed until dinner." _

I point out, "Then my sleeping pattern will be off."

_"Well… stay tired, then." _

I roll my eyes, flopping back against the back of the couch. I abruptly decide, "I think I'll take a walk to wake myself up a bit."

_"Mind if I come with you?" _

"If you want to."

Riku walks behind me as we head downstairs. We pause in the foyer to slip on our shoes before stepping outside. He walks on my right as we go around the block. On the second lap, I shove my hands in my pockets, staring at the ground, trying to decipher why I feel so _weird_. I confess to Riku, "I woke up crying in the middle of the night—like I was in pain… and I don't even know why. I couldn't get back to sleep after that."

I spare him a glance. He frowns, peering at me in concern. Something in me pushes me to turn to him, pausing in our tracks as I abruptly question, "Do you think that you're not worthy enough to be my friend?" He blinks wildly in astonishment. I urge, "Be honest. I need to know."

Swallowing, he admits, "Yes… I do."

Heaving a sigh, I resume walking. Riku steps quickly to catch up with me, avoiding looking at me. I stare up at the sky as I confess, "I think that's why I woke up crying. I just… got this weird sense about you… and… I didn't realize it until now. It just kind-of… hit me right now."

I stop him by putting my hand on his upper arm, staring into his eyes as I intone, "Don't think like that anymore, okay? It makes me feel badly."

He swallows heavily, pursing his lips. He nods in a sullen kind of way. Huffing out air through my nostrils, I nod and resume walking with my hands in my pockets. I feel… agitated, for some reason. My eyes narrow as I kick a small stone, watching it skitter away. My stomach is upset; I feel angry… yet… I want to cry. In general, I just feel… agitated.

Talking aloud, I vent, "I don't even know how to feel right now! I'm tired… and I'm cranky… and I feel agitated. I feel like kicking something. I just feel… frustrated! Something's eating away at me… and I don't even know what it is! God! This is fucking ridiculous!" I huff rather violently, my hands harshly fisting within the depths of my pockets.

Riku withdraws into himself, obviously taking my words in regards to himself—as if it is his fault that I am upset. This irritates me; because, deep down… I know that I am truly angry at _myself_—not him. I snap, "I'm not angry at _you_! I'm angry at _me_! I'm driving myself nuts! I want to yell; I want to kick something; I want get rid of all this tension in my heart!"

I abruptly turn at the end of the cul-de-sac onto a different street. Riku blindly follows me, suggesting, _"Why don't you?" _

"Why don't I what?"

_"Yell. Kick something. Vent." _

At first, I emit a short laugh at this idea, smiling lightly; but then… it appeals to me. Standing still, with Riku beside me, I throw my head back, yelling at the top of my lungs—wordless sound—enjoying the feel of the air in my lungs tickling—enjoying the way my vocal cords buzz. I look at Riku, who smirks, asking, "Feel better?"

I grin. "Yeah, actually… I do."

He asks, "Want to walk some more or do you want to go back inside?"

Looking over my shoulder at his cul-de-sac, I decide, "Let's go back in. That actually helped a lot… I'm feeling much better. I want to do something else now."

He laughs; and the two of us calmly make our way back to his house, going all the way up to his room. Riku sits at his computer, and I lie on his bed, staring at the ceiling. I muse, "I wonder what Ryou is up to these days." Riku chuckles at me, reading something on a Webpage, but saying nothing.

I now become pensive, dwelling on the fact that Riku believes that he is not worthy of me… that he does not deserve me. I softly state, keeping my eyes on the ceiling, "You're a wonderful person, Riku… and I wish you'd see that. If anything… I don't deserve a friend like you. You're the Ryou to my Seth… and I just can't understand why you care so damn much."

I hear him rotate around and look over at him. He solemnly replies, "Because you took my hand… because you didn't take no for an answer… because you didn't just ditch me and leave me to my misery. You lifted me up out of it. That's why."

His words warm my heart; and I smile at him. He simply stares at me, causing my smile to fall. I question, "What's on your mind?"

"My old life… before you came along. It really… sucked… compared to now."

I grin, retorting, "Yeah, well… that's just to make you appreciate the now more!"

He smirks. "Guess you're right."

After a moment, he returns to whatever he was doing on the computer… and I return to staring at the ceiling, clasping my hands beneath my head, sandwiching them between my hair and Riku's pillow. I begin to think of Naminé… of how I rescued her from Castle Oblivion… of how I met Ryou… and then I realize: Naminé has parts of Kairi in her (but is different from Kairi)… and Ryou was Riku before I ever knew him personally. This epiphany makes me smile. Riku really is the Ryou to my Seth.

While Riku does whatever on the computer for a couple of hours, I hazily drift into my imagination, closing my eyes to picture it all better—not napping… but not entirely conscious. In my mind, _Seth _and Ryou go off and have another adventure together. I grin at the banter I imagine… at the affectionate gestures Ryou has for Seth (one of them being: ruffling his hair)… at the tender way Ryou gazes at Seth… at the way Riku gazes at me…. Even though it is just my imagination, my heart races as the two battle foes… worry grips my stomach as Ryou protects Seth, getting injured in the process. He just smiles, though… saying that he would gladly take on all the pain in the world just so Seth would not have to feel any of it….

I am startled from my daydream by Riku questioning, _"Sora? …Are you awake?" _

I mumble, "I'm awake. I was just fighting some Heartless."

Riku chuckles, obviously amused. Swiveling my head toward him, I grin, declaring, "There were a bunch of them—swarming. It was a really tough battle… but good prevailed—as usual."

Riku smirks, retorting, "Of course. Good always has to win!"

I laugh at this, nodding my head. I then sit up, deciding, "I want to do something else. Let's go watch another movie. I'm feeling less tired now—I think I can manage to stay awake until dinnertime."

He chuckles. "Okay. I'll meet you in there in a sec—I just have to log out of all this."

"All right."

* * *

Dinner is a quiet, but pleasant, affair. I help clear dishes then accept hugs from Aiko and Riku, wishing them a good night before I head home.

The house is silent due to the fact that no one else is home. I make my way up to my room, hopping on the computer so that I may work on putting in the newest battle that Seth and Ryou fought. As I am typing this, my mind takes me elsewhere, adding more to the chapter that I had originally intended. Sometimes, my characters just write the story on their own, leading me along; often, things happen that I never intend… but, when they do… it fits rather nicely… and I like the additions very much.

My parents come home, asking me how my day was. I simply say, "Fine. How was dinner?"

They smile at each other, still very in love; my mother replies while gazing into my father's eyes, "Wonderful." They then remember that I am in the room; they wish me a good night—and my mother warns me not to stay up too late—since I "always look so tired." I assure her that I will get to bed—and soon. She nods… they wish me good night… and then they head off down the hall together—to their room.

Saving the chapter, I decide that I will log out and prepare to go to bed.

My body seems to ache as I lie down, exhaling at how _good _it feels to be on my bed. Now that I am no longer troubled, I have no trouble falling asleep.

* * *

_**"Sora?" **_

_For some reason, my heart skips a beat at hearing his voice call my name. I answer, "Yeah?"_

_**"Where were you last night?" **__He sounds highly disappointed… but like he is trying to hide it. _

"_I couldn't sleep." _

"_**Oh. …Are you on the bed?" **_

_"Yeah. I'm thinking." _

_**"About what? ...The night before last?"**_

_"Yeah. I wanted… to sort some things out… before I saw you again." _

_**"Okay. So… let's sort things out." **_

_Heaving a sigh, I question, "How do you know that you love me, Riku?" _

_**"I know that I love you… because… I feel it in my heart. My heart tells me." **_

_Crinkling my face in thought, I wonder, "Is it… Is it like a warm, tickling sensation? Like… Like your heart is so full of warmth that you think you might just melt?" _

_**"Yeah. Exactly that." **_

_I do not know why… but this satisfies me. I somehow know the truth—just like that! _

_Rather determined, I get off the bed and approach the mirror, shoving my hands through. Riku hesitates before gently grabbing hold of my hands… and tugging me through. For a moment, we just gaze into each other's eyes. Then, when I feel that I can no longer hold it in, I confess, "I love you, Riku." _

_At first, he stares at me—as if uncertain whether he heard me or not; then, a smile creeps onto his face. When he smiles… I smile. Suddenly, we laugh. It seems so strange… to be able to say those words… to hear those words… that we laugh; it is such a great big relief… that we laugh. And then, we hurriedly embrace… sharing our first __**mutual **__kiss. Riku's lips move… smiling against my mouth. His warm breath exiting from his nostrils tickles my skin. I open my eyes… and he opens his… and we simply gaze into each other's eyes. He steals another kiss, whispering, __**"I love you…" **__as if it were a special secret. My heart warms at the way he said those wonderful words. Riku loves me…. _

_For the remainder of our time, we lie on the bed together, wrapped in each other's arms, Riku's right leg draped over both of mine. We kiss… and we kiss… and we gaze at each other, hardly daring to believe that we have truly found each other. _

_After I tell Riku about the dream I had earlier while napping on the couch… on Riku's lap… I gently muse, "I wonder how long it will be before our conscious minds realize how we feel." _

_Riku smirks, correcting, "I believe you mean: 'I wonder how long it will be before MY conscious mind realizes how __**I**__ feel.' I'm sure I already know how I feel. I mean… I already know that I am gay… and I already know… that you're the light in my darkness. It's pretty obvious that I am well aware of my feelings for you. I mean… you just __**told **__me that I was talking to you while you were asleep. That says it all right there. The one that will cause all of the waiting… is __**you**__—not me." _

_I laugh, offering, "Sorry, then. You might have to wait awhile. I mean… I don't think I even realize that I'm __**gay**__… let alone that I have feelings for you." _

_He counters, bringing his right hand to stroke my hair, "Subconsciously, you do… because you put that part in your story about girls boring you… about Seth __**loving **__Ryou." _

_I smirk, muttering, "Obviously, my subconscious is not the problem here… considering how we are right now." _

_He chuckles before softly kissing my lips, his fingers brushing along my scalp adoringly, gently raking through my hair. "Yeah, well… I'm sure your conscious mind will wake up to it… eventually…. Till then… we have each other here… and here… we can be our true selves." _

_He kisses me again… and, for the rest of the time, we lie there quietly… holding each other… caressing each other… occasionally offering sweet kisses. _

_One thing is for sure: Subconsciously… I am well aware that I am in love with Riku._

* * *

**A/N: Hee! **

**: D **

**Oh, the fluff! XD**

**Ahem. **

**One more chapter to go!  
**

**Please review! **

**Kagome-chan **


	5. I Love You

Chapter Five: I Love You

The next morning, I wake up tired… but somehow _very _content. I feel that it will be a good morning. When I pick up Riku, I find that he, too, looks _very _content. We both smile at each other for no apparent reason, enjoying each other's company a little more than usual on the drive to school… on the walk across campus to the library… even just sitting together in the library.

Ironically, as we are walking along, browsing the fantasy/ sci-fi section of the fiction books together, we run into Tidus… kissing his apparent girlfriend, Yuna. Glancing at Riku, afraid that this will hurt him, I am surprised to find him smiling. He even softly calls out, mindful of his volume because we _are _in a library, "Hey, Tidus!"

Tidus turns, warily regarding Riku—obviously expecting some sort of negative reaction out of Riku… seeing him kissing Yuna. Riku surprises us both as he utters, "Good for you," and grins. The blond grins, nodding his head. He then walks over to us, his arm draped around Yuna's waist as he introduces, "Yuna, this is Riku. Riku, this is Yuna."

The brunette smiles, murmuring, "Nice to meet you," as she nods her head at Riku. Glancing at Tidus, she admits, "Tidus has told me about you."

I gape in amazement as Riku actually _jokes_, "Nothing too bad, I hope!"

The pretty girl shakes her head, that soft smile still on her lips. "No… nothing bad."

Riku nods before hurriedly introducing me, grinning as he says, "This is my friend, Sora."

Tidus's eyebrows go up as he questions, "Friend? What type of friend?"

I protectively reply, "_Best _friend. That's what type!"

He and I lock eyes; and my eyebrows go up as a signal. I know exactly what he is thinking… and he realizes this. He nods to show his comprehension… but abruptly requests, "May I speak with you a moment?"

Offering a shrug, I smile at Riku, uttering, "Be right back," before heading out the back door of the library to _chat _with Tidus.

He starts off bluntly, questioning, "You do know that Riku is gay, right?"

I frown at this. It is almost like he is trying to warn me. My defenses spring up as I retort, "Of course I do! He didn't tell me in exact words… but I could tell. What difference does it make? I'm not a total _asshole _like you! I still plan on being his friend no matter _what_!"

"Even if he likes you… like that? What if he just can't hold it in anymore and confesses that he's _in love _with you? What if he starts telling you about how much he loves you… and how he wants to hold you and kiss you… and how he could be the most wonderful, considerate _boyfriend _if you'd just let him? What would you say to that, huh?"

This bites at my heart, causing me pain. I scornfully wonder, "He opened his heart to you that much… and you shoved it back in his face by saying that you couldn't even be _friends _with him anymore? God! No wonder he wanted to kill himself!"

Tidus gets defensive now, swinging his right arm out as he yells, "Hey! I didn't _know _he would react that way! I tried to be as nice as I could about it!"

I sneer, "Yeah! As nice as you could… while breaking—no, _shattering_—his _heart_!"

The blond scowls at me; and I glower at him. I coldly state, "Riku is my friend… and just because he may or may not have feelings for me… doesn't mean that I will _stop _being his friend. I wouldn't even blame him if he did like me! Because I seem to be the only person who has ever shown him _real _kindness!"

He vehemently disputes, "I showed him 'kindness'!"

I snort derisively. "Yeah! By never really caring about how he felt—by neglecting him—by making him feel like a bigger freak than he believed himself to be! That's really kind of you!"

We glare at each other. He finally huffs and admits, "…You're much stronger than I was. Just… don't go making the same mistake I did."

I sneer, "I don't plan on it!" and turn on my heel, re-entering the library, forcing myself to calm down and appear pleasant as I approach Riku and Yuna.

Riku looks suspicious—especially when Tidus enters, smiling at Yuna as he puts his arm around her shoulders. The blond utters, "We'll get out of your guys' way! Have a nice day! It was nice meeting you!" Yuna echoes the last phrase, smiling pleasantly at us. Riku and I nod, also repeating this last phrase as we watch them walk off.

I turn toward the bookshelf, pretending to peruse the selection. I feel Riku's eyes on me as he asks, _"What was it that you two discussed?" _

I shrug, mumbling, "The differences between me and him."

"_Like what?" _

Looking over at him, into his eyes, I respond, "The fact that I'm a better friend to you than he ever was."

Riku smirks. "That's for sure."

I go back to "looking for a book" so that I will not have to continue holding Riku's gaze. It is not long before he wonders, _"What did he tell you, exactly?" _

Sighing, I decide to be honest—even though I do not look at him. "The first thing out of his mouth was: 'You do know that Riku is gay, right?'"

Glancing at him out of the corner of my eye while pretending to peer over at a book title, I notice that he swallows nervously. _"…What did you say to that?" _

I heave out another sigh, answering, "I told him off. I basically said that it didn't matter to me—that I would be your friend no matter what. He seemed surprised at that—like he didn't believe it." Now I regard him. He stares at me… and I just know that a newfound affection for me is blossoming in his heart. I smirk, uttering, "After all… I did swear on the mirror. And, truthfully… I don't much like the thought of being sucked into a world of doom!"

Riku laughs at this, ducking his head as a fond smile clings to his face. He seems eager to get off the subject as he shifts his eyes over to the bookshelf and inquires, "Do you see anything you like?"

I shrug. "Nah. Nothing really catches my eye right now. Let's go walk around campus for a bit."

He swallows again. "Okay."

Things are a bit awkward between us now. It makes me regret telling Riku the truth… because now we cannot ignore any obvious signs between us anymore. Nevertheless, we try to pretend that things are okay. Until the bell rings, we walk side by side, and we talk of random things—anything but Tidus… about what just happened… about homosexuality. I think that we are both grateful when the bell rings, and it is time to go to class.

* * *

Lunch is awkward… because Kairi and Selphie insist upon mourning the fact that Tidus is now—as of yesterday evening—with Yuna.

I can't resist saying, "I told you girls: wishful thinking!"

Selphie pouts, glaring at me; Kairi sighs… but then she looks at me with this contemplative haze in her eyes, causing me to question, "What?"

"You look nice today."

I grin at this, replying, "Thanks. So do you."

Selphie puts her hand on Kairi's shoulder, chastising, "Kairi, honey, I know that you're depressed… but don't get any funny ideas in your head. We all know that there is absolutely _no _chemistry between you and Sora—you two have been best friends since forever… and… well… it's Sora!"

I scowl at this, affronted at the 'It's Sora' part.

Kairi sighs, staring down at the tabletop as she mumbles, "Yeah, you're right. Sorry. I just… it makes me really want a boyfriend."

My brows furrow as I indignantly question, "And I'm not boyfriend material?"

Selphie counters, "Not for Kairi, you're not!"

Kairi actually laughs at this, lifting her head and smiling at me. "She's right, you know. You and I wouldn't last five minutes before scampering back into the 'Okay, damn! That was just plain weird! Let's go back to being friends!' zone."

I laugh at this, realizing that she has a point. I concede, "You're right."

Selphie sighs dreamily, murmuring, "They make an adorable couple, though, don't they? They're so sweet… and romantic together."

The two now sigh simultaneously in that dreamy fashion. I mutter, "Girls!" while shaking my head. Riku snickers into his sandwich. As the girls continue chattering on and on about the type of guys they like… as well as prospective boyfriends in some of their classes… Riku and I sit and quietly eat our lunches together, preferring not to say a word.

* * *

Walking to math class is spent in silence.

We get into my car in silence.

We drive along in silence.

We enter my house in silence.

We work on homework… in silence… sitting a respectable distance away. When we do speak, it is for Riku to help me with my math homework. He is very careful not to touch my hand—he simply points at the sheet of paper or at the page on which we are in the book. I am surprised to discover that I _miss _these little touches—these forms of contact. He stops staying for dinner… always in a rush to get home.

We talk to each other, still… but of little things. Things really are awkward between us—the whole week. Even the world in which Seth and Ryou live is tainted. I am unable to work on my story… because, deep down, I know who the characters really are.

Now it is Friday… and we are coming out of the Science building, fresh from exiting the room in which Anime Club is always held. We walk along… and… out of nowhere, I ask, "Do you want to spend the night? My parents are going to be away for the weekend. They were actually hoping that I could spend most of my time with you…."

He blinks, softly regarding me. Finally, his lips curl into a gentle smile; he nods, murmuring, "Sure. I'd love to." My heart races at hearing this; and I grin, nodding for no apparent reason.

Somehow, this simple gesture has the power to make our awkwardness vanish. We start talking a lot more than we have been during the past week. We smile at each other openly. I even sling my arm around Riku's shoulders—a somewhat awkward feat considering his height compared to mine. He smiles down at me, and I flash him one of my _cute _grins (as Kairi and Selphie have called them). Riku laughs, turning away as he mutters, _"Cute…. Very cute…." _

I cockily say, "Thank you! I know I am!" We both laugh at this. My arm now aches, causing me to drop it back to my side as we walk to my car.

The best part about going home in the later afternoon: there is less traffic around school. As I drive along, listening to the radio, I state, "We'll swing by your place first—so you can get your stuff; then we'll work on detaching ourselves from your very adorable—but rather overzealous—mother. After that… we'll head to my place and hang out. Sound like a good plan?"

I glance at him; he nods, staring out the window. _"Yeah…. Sounds good, Sora." _He murmurs, almost whispering, _"It sounds wonderful…." _For some reason, I blush at this, purposely staring harder at the road. My heart thuds rather awkwardly in my chest… and I feel a little funny. Somehow, Riku's words have done this to me.

Aiko is very pleased to see us—she gives both me and Riku identical greetings: _"Okaeri nasai!" _suffices just once for the both of us; then she gives us… a hug… a kiss to the temple… and a pat to the head. Riku tells her, I assume, that he is going to spend the night over at my place. Aiko beams, gushing, "Okay! Sounds like fun! You two have good night and make sure to get rest!" She urges Riku, _"Riku-chan! _Go, go!" Riku smirks but heads toward the stairs to do as his mother bids him. Meanwhile, Aiko invites me to the kitchen for a snack. When Riku comes in, she hands him a plate. He sits across from me, and we eat together, listening to Aiko sing while doing the dishes.

When it is time for us to go, she gives us big hugs, wishing us a good night—and to be safe. We wish her the same… and then we are in the car, driving to my place.

We head straight to my room, where Riku sets down the plastic bag in which he stowed his belongings, placing it on the floor, by the bed. Turning my head, I find myself enticed by the mirror; I slowly step toward it, gazing into my reflection's eyes. I ponder: _Riku cares for me… and I care for him… but how much? Do I care for him as he surely cares for me… or do I care for him as a friend—and only a friend? How much? How much do I care? _

_"Sora? You okay?" _

Staring at the mirror, I see him step up behind me, frowning in concern. Wheeling around, I suggest, "Let's sit… and talk for a bit." He swallows, nodding despite the fact that he looks incredibly nervous. Walking over to the bed with him, I gesture for him to sit down first, which he does; I quickly follow. We assume our usual position, bringing one leg up, and bending the knee, as we face each other.

My heart races… and tension builds in me; my stomach churns with anxiety. Attempting to push this aside, I start speaking my piece.

"I know that you care for me as more than a friend. I'm not blind. And I didn't need Tidus to suggest it to me. I knew from that day that you told me about your 'best friend'. I also know… that I care for you deeply. The thing is: I don't know how much. As much as I know that you have feelings for me… I can't seem to sort my own feelings out. So… I want you… to help me figure things out. I want to figure this out together."

Riku swallows, looking as I feel. His voice shakes as he asks, "What do you think we should do?"

Huffing out a heavy exhalation, feeling as if I am not breathing properly due to the nerve-wracking situation in which I have found myself, I order, "Test me. If… If I don't feel anything… then… we'll just go back to being friends. If I do feel something… then… we can try… being…" I swallow, finishing, "…together." I flush at having to say that word. My heart rate is up. My stomach is uneasy. However, I know that I am doing the right thing by taking this leap.

Riku hesitantly scoots closer to me, swallowing again, breathing rather heavily. His right hand shakes as he places it on my left thigh. The warmth of his palm seeps through my jeans; my heart races; I swallow, feeling as if my throat is going dry. His other hand also tremors as he reaches out to touch my face. His fingertips brush hesitantly against my cheek before he cups it, pressing his warm—somewhat sweaty—palm there. His thumb caresses my skin, rubbing back and forth; my heart seems to do flip-flops in my chest; I shakily exhale. I know what he is about to do… and now my whole body is pulsing; I can practically feel the blood rushing through my body. We both seem to be panting anxiously as Riku leans his face in, bringing it closer and closer to mine. I find that I like the way he smells… and that I have never really noticed how nice he smells before.

Hovering just in front of my mouth, his breath hitting me as he pauses, he asks, _"Have you ever kissed someone before?" _

His voice sends rather delightful tingles coursing through me. I truthfully intone, _"No. …Have you?" _

He shakes his head, swallowing and wetting his lips with his tongue. He worriedly questions, _"Will you… hate me… for taking your first kiss… if it turns out that you don't feel anything?" _

Staring into his eyes, I whisper, _"No. I could never hate you." _

The suspense is killing us both… but Riku is too anxious to proceed at the moment. His voice is tremulous as he begs, _"Do you swear?" _His eyes are getting glassy—like he is tearing up out of fear.

_"I swear…." _

I watch one tear fall… and then another… and then… Riku brings his lips to mine—softly, sweetly, gently… lovingly. My heart fills with warmth at the sensation of his lips on mine… of them rubbing… then brushing… sometimes with the insides of his lips… sometimes with the outside… alternating between this. My arms tremble as I bring them around Riku's neck, grasping at the back of his head as we kiss. This influences him to wrap his arms around my body, pulling me up against him as he continues kissing me… warm… soft… wet…. He retracts his lips… only to bring them to mine again. It feels wonderful. It feels… meant to be. It feels… like magic.

Riku seems to be terrified of letting me go… of stopping kissing me… because then he will receive his answer. However, he does stop; he rests his forehead against mine… and he sits there quietly, his arms remaining around me. His voice quivers as he questions, _"Well?" _

I grin, whispering, _"Like magic…" _just before I renew our previous activities.

Tears slip from his eyes, landing on my face as he crushes me against him, kissing me more fervently. He breathes into my mouth, _"I love you, Sora…." _

He sobs joyously when I reply, _"I love you, too, Riku." _And then we kiss some more. When it seems as if we cannot take anymore… we simply hold each other. Riku brings me onto his lap, holding me against him as he strokes my hair.

We sit in the quiet for the longest time before he murmurs, _"You really are my light in the darkness…." _I grin at this, nuzzling him; he squeezes me tighter, nuzzling my face with his before softly kissing my closed eyes.

An hour or so later, I mumble, "I'm kinda hungry."

"_Me, too." _

"Let's order some pizza."

"_Okay." _

I get off him first; then he follows me. I grin at him, offering my hand for him to hold. He grabs it, squeezing it as he smiles at me. Hand in hand, we descend to the bottom floor in order to get the phone and order some pizza.

Neither of us can stop grinning. Camping out on the living room floor, we eat the pizza from the box, stealing bites of each other's slices… as well as the occasional kiss… smiling and laughing all the while. It is a pleasant sort of surprise to feel so content… to see _Riku _so content… so _unburdened_. I love it.

After we finish eating, and put the pizza box in the fridge, Riku grabs his toiletries from his bag, and we stand side by side in the upstairs bathroom, brushing our teeth together. This will be the first time we spend the night with each other… this night is the first night… of something special just beginning.

My original plan was to pull out the spare futon we have and set it up in my room, on the floor, running parallel to my bed. I would then take the futon, giving my bed to Riku. However, now that we have discovered our feelings for each other, we see no problem with sharing the bed. I lie on my right side, facing Riku and the wall as Riku caresses my face, giving me soft little butterfly kisses; I close my eyes as I bask in them. They make me smile. We fall asleep… just like this… in each other's arms… and perfectly happy.

* * *

_Opening my eyes, I grin at the way things are. Riku is here beside me… in __**my **__bed… on __**my **__side of the mirror… holding me in his arms. Very slowly, he opens his eyes, gazing into mine as his lips curl into a soft smile. _

_I greet, still grinning, "Hey." _

_He purses his lips in a content sort of way, responding, "Hey." _

_"So… I… took a big leap today." _

_"Yes, I know. …Thank you." _

_"You're welcome. It was my pleasure." We both grin at this. And then… we kiss. For the remainder of our time in the dream world, we hold each other… and drift back into the waking world in much the same way that we fell asleep. _

I open my eyes… and stare at Riku. He feels my eyes on his… and his eyelids fly upward. We both blink a bit, trying to clear the warm haze that fogs our minds. For a moment, we simply stare at each other. And then… we smile… which turns into grinning… which turns into wild, joyous, carefree laughter.

Grinning like mad, I victoriously cry, "I told you that the mirror was magical!"

He responds, "Yeah, well… I think that you're the one that's magical…."

I speak with wonder as I jokingly question, "Do you think I have magical powers? Maybe we could go fight evil!"

He laughs, murmuring, "Wherever your dreams take you, Sora… I'll be sure to follow."

We smile blissfully at each other before basking in another kiss and our newfound love.

* * *

_THE END_

* * *

**A/N: Awww! **

**Awww! **

**AWWW! **

**Okay. I just had to get that out of my system. Lol.**

**After listening to the song, "Only You" by Sulk, I decided that that song fits the story perfectly. Listen to it if you have the chance!****  
**

**Believe it or not… this novella is the first **_**story **_**I have ever completed that has not been a one-shot. So… aside from it being my first **_**real **_**step into the fandom of **_**Kingdom Hearts**_**… this is quite an accomplishment. **

**Since I love **_**hunted-snark **_**so much for all his help… and because he is awesome… I recommend that you all read his KH RxS story: **_**Bend or Break**_**. It made me grin quite a bit. It is short but sweet—and the ending is quite steamy! Hehehe. **

**I will have lots more KH stories in the future—once I finish my story **_**Love of Music**_** (my final work for the fandom of **_**The Phantom of the Opera**_**). So… keep an eye out for more by me! Hopefully, I won't disappoint you! **

**I hope you all enjoyed the story. Please be so kind as to review! Thank you! **

**Kagome-chan **


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